Harry Potter and Endless Possibilities
by TheZorker
Summary: After Frisk's first year at Hogwarts, things should be looking up for the Dreemurr family, as the awarding of the Order of Merlin suggests. But the next new students at Hogwarts may tip some very delicate scales... and in the Underground Kurt Kairos and Sans have a project of their own. Sequel to Harry Potter and the Underground's Saviour.
1. The Invitation

It all started with the invitation.

It had been carried by a tawny barn owl, and left on Asgore's plate during breakfast. If he hadn't had meetings at the ministry that day, they probably would have found out about everything right then. But it had been swept into his briefcase with everything else, for him to read when he actually had time.

It hadn't taken that long after summer vacation had started for Toriel to realize just how overwhelmed she was trying to care for all three Dreemurr children, and that she really was ready to forgive her husband. The children had all been present when she invited him to come home. Finally, they were a family again.

At least until the fall term started, then Frisk would go off to school again. But that wasn't for another couple of weeks. Until then, Asriel, Chara, and Frisk were having a great time exploring the British countryside, or staying indoors playing games when the British weather turned against them.

The children hadn't changed that much. Frisk was still the lithe little witch, with short cropped brown hair, tanned skin, and hazel eyes that would always give one the impression that she had just woken up. Asriel, well, he'd grown slightly, but his white fur was generally matted with whatever dirt he'd acquired in that day's misadventure. His green eyes were ready to take in everything and everyone. Chara was slightly taller than Frisk, with paler skin and exceptionally rosy cheeks. She had taken to wearing her hair longer. But her blue eyes always seemed nervous and sad, and though Frisk tried regularly, she never saw her sister truly smile.

They were having pizza for dinner that night, deep dish. Toriel liked crusts with her pies, though she left the cinnamon out of this one. While it was in the oven, there was the sound of someone stumbling in from the fireplace. The kids barreled into Asgore before he'd properly gotten his bearings back. "I'm never going to get used to Floo Powder," he said, shaking his mane, and resisting the gang tackle. "And you kids aren't helping!"

They let go after another few moments. Toriel insisted the children were to set the table, and a few minutes later, they all sat down, the pizza attacked from all sides by hungry mouths. Asgore dropped the envelope on the table when they were done. "I was supposed to open this at breakfast," Asgore told them. "It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer."

Frisk nodded, she didn't care much for the sport. She never really had gotten the hang of broomstick flying. Chara, on the other hand, looked up with interest. She'd loved quidditch before her own trip down Mt. Ebott, "What about it, Asgore?" Toriel asked.

Asgore withdrew the letter from the envelope and read it aloud, " _To the King and Queen of Britain's Monster family_ ," he paused, "That's awfully formal. Mr. and Ms. Dreemurr would have sufficed." He continued, " _As a show of unity between wizards and monsters_ , _I would like to personally invite you, and your entire family, to join me in the top box for the Quidditch World Cup Finals next weekend_. _Tickets will be provided by the ministry._ It's signed Cornelius Fudge. That's quite an honor, isn't it?"

"It does sound that way," Toriel agreed. "What do you think, kids?"

"It does," Chara agreed. "And I've never been to the international competition before."

Frisk let loose a sigh that wasn't supposed to be audible. "I guess. I don't really like it at school. It's for human and monster relations, right?

"Oh, come on, Frisk! I'd love to go," Asriel said, "Especially if it helps to show wizards and monsters can coexist." His eyes raised to the ceiling. "I'd love to try flying, I mean, really fly."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," Frisk told him.

"If we're all agreed," Asgore rumbled, "There's a bit more. We'll have to," His muzzle wrinkled in surprise, "We'll have to camp. Apparently, there's such a wide range of wizards coming that we'll be expected to come the night before via portkey, to avoid everyone apparating in the same small area all at once. While the ministry will take care of the campsite, we'll need to bring our own camping gear."

"I guess a trip to Diagon Alley is in order then," Toriel said. "Are you home tomorrow, Asgore?" He shook his head negatively in response. "Ah well. Maybe Sans and Papyrus wouldn't mind taking care of you all for a day."

"But can't we go with you?" Asriel asked.

"I think I'm going to be there quite a while, and I know what it's like to take care of bored children while shopping," Toriel said, eyeing each of the children in turn. They gave their most innocent smiles back at her, and they all laughed. After dinner, Toriel got on her cell phone and gave the skeleton brothers a ring. As it turned out, Sans and Papyrus were not available, so Chara, Frisk, and Asriel were sent off to spend the day with Undyne and Alphys instead.

* * *

Undyne met them as they arrived. She was a monster with blue skin, a bright red ponytail, an eyepatch, and, usually, a large infectious smile. Undyne was enjoying life on the surface. Her continued obsession with 'Ninja Warrior' and the fact she just couldn't let go of her training from being captain of the guard meant she had visibly gotten even stronger over the past year. She was still trying to work out away she might get on the show itself. Frisk wanted to encourage this, but she didn't know how likely it would actually be. "Howdy, Undyne," Asriel said, waving as Toriel stepped back into the grate to travel by Floo powder. "Where's Alphys?"

"Oh, on the computer, as usual," Undyne told them. "I'm sure she'll be out shortly. You guys ready for training?"

Alphys on the other hand, was still working on a way to get her and Undyne to Romania to see dragons. This seemed, by comparison, the easier goal, but she hadn't made much progress either. In her spare time, she was still running Undernet, which most of the monsters were still on board with. She was also one of the few monsters to have human internet access, Frisk didn't know how that one worked.

"I guess," Frisk said skeptically, looking out the window at the torture device Undyne called the salmon ladder. But if you tried to deny Undyne, that only got you pushed harder, so it was best to get over with early. They started with agility obstacles like the floating steps, but before she knew it, they were trying to get up a curved incline Undyne called 'The Warped Wall', and each time Frisk thought they had it mastered, Undyne raised a few more inches. But there was a certain sense of teamwork, cheering on her siblings that Frisk really enjoyed. It wasn't her against Asriel and Chara, but all three of them against Undyne's obstacles.

After about an hour of grueling punishment, Undyne relented for lunch, and they went back in the house. "Is Alphys still working on that game?" Undyne complained, peering up the stairs, "Seriously?" She looked at the three Dreemurr children and grinned. "I'll be right back."

"Uhm, Undyne?" Frisk said, "It really is okay. We can just have sandwiches..."

But Undyne was already two thirds of the way up the steps. There was a shriek of surprise, and a few minutes later, Alphys appeared on the landing, just about pushed out of the room. "...your adventuring in Azeroth can wait a little while," Undyne said, trailing after her, still giving that toothy grin. "We have guests!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Alphys said, splotches of red appearing on her yellow cheeks. "I just lose track of time sometimes." She adjusted her spectacles, "So what should we do for lunch? Maybe a late brunch?"

"Waffles?" suggested Asriel.

"Waffles sound good," Chara said.

"I can handle that," Alphys said, heading into the kitchen. "And I'll be okay," she said winking. "I don't need any help."

"I'm not that bad of a cook," Undyne muttered. Frisk had to hide a smile as she wondered if Undyne's old house was _still_ on fire. "That's fine, Alphys. We'll just turn on an anime while we wait for you. I think they'd love the Avatar series."

"That's not actually anime!" Alphys protested from the kitchen.

"Ah well," Undyne said to them, "It's close enough."

They gathered in the living room as Undyne set up the DVD. Waffles, butter, and syrup arrived about halfway through the first episode, and they went through the second before turning it off. "Though I'd like to see more some day," Asriel said, "That was fun!"

"We'll make that happen!" Undyne declared.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Alphys," Frisk said. "Have you made any progress with the soul questions I asked you a few weeks ago?" The state of the soul of Sirius Black and the presumed Peter Pettigrew had been drawing her thought's.

"Oh! Somewhat," Alphys said. "On the mixture soul, the yellow and black, I don't have a lot of direct evidence, but I have a pretty good theory." Alphys looked focused behind her spectacles. "I think you caught the soul's owner in a bit of a crisis point, and that two parts were striving for dominance."

"So... yellow and black, justice and... what is black, anyway?" Frisk asked.

"Hatred," Alphys said. "At least, I think it is. It's not so much of a light as it is a lack of light. So think of the mixture as someone who's," she thought for a moment, "been bullied, for example. It's someone who's considering trying to turn them in versus get revenge. Where did you see this soul, anyway?"

Frisk thought about it. Hermione had told Frisk that Sirius Black had to be talked out of committing the crime he'd been framed for. In the end, the justice part of his soul had won, but it had been a very near thing. And Alphys deserved to know the truth. She'd already told her parents and siblings, on that day Asriel and Chara had come back to them. "It was Sirius Black."

"The murderer?" exclaimed Undyne, turning on Frisk in astonishment.

"He isn't, actually," explained Frisk, as she went over everything that happened the last night of finals. "So your explanation makes perfect sense. Azkaban had not made him the most clear thinking individual."

"So what do you knew about this Peter fellow?" Alphys asked. "I have a theory about pink as well, but I'm less confident about it." As Frisk went over what she understood about him, Alphys nodded more and more vigorously. "Yes! It makes sense. I did see some small pink markers in the souls I examined. It must be fear. He was driven by what scared him, and went to people or groups he considered powerful for protection."

Undyne looked disgusted. "He betrayed his friends when someone more powerful came along? I can't blame Black for being angry! Oooh!"

"That's what I was told, anyway," Frisk said.

Chara sighed, looking out towards the window. She didn't say anything, but Frisk guessed what she was thinking. So did Asriel. "It's okay, Chara. You apologized, and I forgive you."

"Thanks," whispered Chara.

"That's enough of that!" declared Undyne. "What would you like to do this afternoon? Maybe practice with spears, or try shooting a bow and arrow?"

Alphys nervously eyed the window. "I've some multiplayer video games we could try. Maybe... Mario Kart? That goes up to four."

"Well, hmm." Undyne said, looking conflicted. "We can try. Then I'm dragging you outside for some exercise time, Alphys!"

Frisk remembered their time in the dump, where Undyne had told Alphys she didn't care what she did as long as she did it with passion. It was interesting to see how different Alphys acted when playing her game instead of trying to simply be herself. Because her passion did come out in games, especially when she had someone to share them with. Frisk made a mental note to mention that to Undyne later, but suspected it was already known. It helped that it was, in fact, a fun game.

Then it was back outside for the dreaded spear practice, and Undyne was good as her word. Probably the only one more uncomfortable than Alphys at spear practice was Asriel, because Undyne kept comparing him to Asgore, and the young monster was nowhere near that skilled. Not yet, at least.

They were still outside when Toriel returned from the Diagon Alley, they could hear her calling from inside the house. "Too bad," Undyne said, "Just when we were getting warmed up. We'll see the Dreemurrs off, then I guess it'll just be us Alphys." She smiled suggestively at Alphys, who turned scarlet.

They said their goodbyes, and a quick pinch of floo powder later, they had returned home. "I have to admit, wizard camping is unlike what I thought human camping would be," Toriel admitted. "I wish they knew how they created these things that were bigger on the inside than on the outside. It bothers me. Have either of you ever been camping before?" she asked Frisk and Chara, but neither had.

"Well, I guess it'll be a new experience for all of us."

* * *

On the day before the Quidditch world cup, they had to get up early. They were taking a nine forty five portkey to the grounds, and they were looking at a good twenty minute walk to get there. This meant Toriel and Asgore attempted to get the kids up at half past seven, and finally managing it by quarter 'til. Then it was making sure they were fed, packed, and hadn't forgotten anything in their packs and luggage.

They were to find their portkey on a small forested hill, not actually far from the M25, though shielded from it by a copse of trees. According to the ministry, 'Anti-Muggle' charms (and Frisk still didn't like the term) had been placed on the area, so it would be safe for the monsters to wait until the portkey became active.

Thus, it was with some surprise that they noticed there were already people congregated in the area. "Frisk?" Asgore asked, "Why don't you go see if it's clear for us?"

Frisk nodded silently, and hiked up the last few hundred feet up. To her delight, she realized she'd knew the three people who were there. She turned back to the rest of the Dreemurr family, giving them a thumbs up and waving for them to join her. She then ran forward and called out, "Opal!"

Opal Oxtoby, one of Frisk's best friends at Hogwarts, had grown a bit since Frisk had seen her last. Her hazel eyes sparkled in excitement as she turned to spot Frisk. She had her muddy blond hair tied back in a ponytail. "You're going to the world cup?" Opal asked in astonishment, "But you don't like quidditch!"

"My parents got an invite from the minister himself, part of a wizard-monster relation building. So I'm coming too," Frisk said. "You remember my mom, dad, and I'm sure you remember Asriel and Chara, right?"

"Of course I do," Opal said, waving as Asriel and Chara joined them, and the parents started talking among themselves. Opal had been one of the people who had offered a piece of themselves to rescue Asriel from his existence as the soulless 'Flowey'.

"So what else have you been doing, Opal? How's your summer vacation been?"

"My holiday's been good, Frisk, thanks. Dad got me signed up for a summer rugby club, and that's kept me pretty busy, but it was really fun. Chara? Asriel? Have you been doing anything really fun this holiday?"

"Mostly exploring the surface," Asriel said, smiling. "I never thought I was going to be up here. I just wish we didn't have to hide from the humans without magic. I want to see everything! London sounds spectacular!"

"And what about you, Chara?" Opal asked.

"I'm just enjoying having a family," Chara said quietly.

"Didn't you have one before you fell?"

"I don't like to talk about them," Chara said, taking a step backward.

"The important thing is that she has one now," Frisk said firmly. "And we're happy she's with us," Frisk began.

"We've got about two minutes," Mr. Oxtoby told them. "So, just in case it's a bit early, everyone grab hold here," he said. He had unfolded what looked like about a month old front page of 'The Daily Telegraph'. All eight of them held tightly to part of the paper.

"Did you have to get up early?" Asgore asked.

"No," Mr. Oxtoby chuckled. "One of the advantages of being a muggle. We drove, and my wife," he nodded to Ms. Oxtoby, "put an illusion on it to stop it from being towed. It'd have been a long hike if we'd had to walk."

At precisely 9:45, Frisk felt a lurch in her chest, and felt the _out of sync_ feeling she'd begun to associate with apparition, but she managed to keep her feet as she came to a landing.

"And there's the 9:45 from Devon," a voice behind her said.

 _A/N: I'm back. Mostly. I still think there's a story looking to be told during year four. But it hasn't quite hit me yet. So, time to start writing and see where it takes us. See you soon._


	2. Campground Chaos

They had landed in a large stretch of open moor. Two wizards were there waiting for them. And it must have rained that morning, as the one was wearing galoshes with his tweed suit. The other was wearing a poncho. She could see another group of wizards heading over the dirt down the lane.

The wizard in front of them stepped back from the Dreemurrs in surprise, but recovered almost immediately. "Basil over there can get you pointed to your campsite, but we do need to be quick. Next group is in ten minutes," he told them, crumpling up the newspaper and tossing it in a box.

Asgore leaned forward, shifting his pack and peered at the large collection of discarded portkeys. "This looks like it's taken an awful lot of planning."

The wizard favored Asgore with an exhausted smile. "You don't know the half of it. I'll be glad when it's all over. Been most hands on deck for the ministry for the last week."

"But thank you for doing it," Asgore said, nodding deeply to him. He followed Toriel to wizard Basil to get directions to their campsite. Opal waved to Frisk as her family headed up to the path, "See you later!"

The wizard at the end looked at Asgore and Toriel, then down at his sheaf of parchment. "Dreemurr, Dreemurr," he said, running his finger down the list. "Ah, you're Roberts too, same as the Oxtobys. About a quarter mile up the lane," he pointed in the general direction. "But what's that star mean? Oh, right. You're prepaid. Means I have..." he walked over to a large bag resting on a stump, and pulled a small piece of paper. "Here's a map of your campsite," he explained. "Just keep an eye out for Mr. Roberts, the site manager. No need to sc, ah, shock him."

Frisk sighed. She knew Asgore would have rather joined those without magic, but this was the world they found themselves in. Asgore held it in. "Thanks," he said, holding out a large paw to shake.

The ministry wizard shook it and glanced at his compatriot, who held up three fingers. "Next group's in three, so if there's any last questions?" he asked, trying to smile and not quite overcoming the tiredness that was apparent on his face.

"Take care then," Toriel told him, gathering up the children. "hold up Sarah," she called out. "We're at the same site."

"That wasn't very much later," Asriel told Opal as they caught up, grinning at her. They talked among themselves as they crossed the slightly more than quarter of a mile, then while the Oxtobys had Mr. Roberts distracted, the Dreemurrs slipped behind his cottage and into the campsite proper. Asgore consulted his map. "Ah, we're over here. Somewhat near the center," he said, turning the map the right way up. "Not far now."

And that was a good thing. Frisk didn't mind the walk, she'd walked further in the underground, but she hadn't done it with a backpack this heavy. As they walked there were signs of the campground coming to life, people having late breakfasts, people talking about that night's match.

The Dreemurrs garnered a number of strange looks and stares as they headed to their campsites. The British wizards were somewhat restrained, many of them having seen the monsters at some point or another, whether it was in Diagon Alley or at the ministry. But it was another story with the foreign wizards, there were shouts of surprise and alarm when they passed some of them, while others simply stared or backed into their tents.

"Not right now," Toriel said, putting a paw on Asriel's shoulder as he looked like he was going to split off, and introduce himself to a particularly scared young witch. She was shouting in a language that Frisk thought must have been French, but didn't understand. "Let's get our campsite set up, then we can come back."

They found their campsite: a small stake labeled "Dreamer". Then there was a great hubbub as Toriel and Asgore unpacked their tent. "This is supposed to be easy setup?" Toriel complained as they hammered another stake in the ground.

"I think that they're assuming you're using human magic," Asgore said. "And even wizards aren't supposed to be using magic here. But that doesn't look like it's stopped at lot of people." It was a lot of work, and it took all five of them, but they managed to get the tent set up. Frisk looked at their accomplishment in confusion, this tent might have fit Asgore and maybe Toriel, and yet, it was supposed to be able to hold them all? She poked her head through the flap of the tent and was amazed to find what appeared to be a four room apartment, much larger than on the outside. There was even a bathroom. "There is a lot about magic I still need to learn," she said, walking fully inside and staring open mouthed.

"The camping shop called it an extra-dimensional space via the undetectable extension charm," Toriel said as the others walked in to look around. "It's a heavily regulated charm, but they're permitted to sell camping gear with it."

"Does it stay if the tent collapses?" Asriel asked, looking around in wonder. "Human magic can do so many things, I wish I could try it."

Toriel lowered her eyes for a moment, and Frisk felt a pang of guilt. She remembered that monsters had been forbidden from learning human wand magic. "I think so," Toriel sad. "But you may have trouble getting out until the tent is sent back up, so I wouldn't recommend trying it intentionally," she said, giving the three of them a warning eye.

"Well, we've got an oven here, and it's supposed to be undetectable to the outside, so that's how we can do our cooking." Asgore said, "But we're going to need some water." He consulted the map, "There's a faucet on the map here. You wanted to explore a bit, right kids?" he asked. "I've got some bottles for you to fill up."

Frisk, Asriel, and Chara unshouldered their packs, took the offered containers to fill. Asriel took the map, looking at it closely, and left the tent. "Do we have to go straight there?" Asriel asked the others, I wanted to go back and see if we could find those people that were so afraid of us."

"I was expecting you to say that," Chara told him, "Let's go." Frisk nodded her agreement.

They traced their way back toward the entrance, looking around for the young witch that had gotten their attention before. They got a better look at the rest of the camp at this point, as it was lunchtime and everyone else really was up and out now. There were a number of tents that were obviously not mundane in origin; some had multiple floors, some were adorned with chimneys or other things that made them look like miniature houses. But since the children were alone, they weren't attracting as much attention. "There," Asriel said, "that's her."

She was a girl about their age, with bright blond hair, and she was talking excitedly to an older boy with similarly colored hair. Asriel approached them, hands stuffed into his pants pockets, with Frisk and Chara trailing behind him. "Howdy," Asriel said, smiling at her.

The girl looked around, made eye contact with Asriel and about jumped about a foot straight backward, gesturing at him and speaking rapidly. The older boy turned, looked at Asriel, and took a step back as well. They were wearing both wearing sky blue robes that matched their crystal blue eyes. "Who... what are you?" he asked, his English heavily accented.

"Howdy! My name's Asriel," he said, "These are my sisters, Chara and Frisk."

The foreign wizard looked over at them, his eyes resting on the emblem on Frisk's robes: "Hogwarts? But they are human, and you are not. How is this possible?"

"We were adopted by his parents," Frisk said. Now that they were talking, the foreign wizards didn't seem as scared, though they were still wary. Apparently, the younger one's English wasn't as good, because she spoke rapidly to the person Frisk presumed was her older brother in French. "Do you also go to a wizarding school?" she asked.

"Oui," he said. "Beauxbatons, on the continent. But what are you?"

"A monster," Asriel said, "One of the ones trapped behind the Mt. Ebott barrier. My father, the king, was invited by the Minister of Magic to be his guest."

"I think my parents said something about monsters. I did not expect we would meet one!" he said. "I do not believe my friends will believe me." He paused, "Excusez-moi! I did not give you my name, I am Gerald, and this is Nikoleta. I am happy to meet you, Asriel, Chara, and Frisk. My sister was quite scared when she saw you and your parents," he thought for a second. "Is that why you have come, to see if she was scared and to introduce yourself?" Asriel nodded, and Gerald looked impressed. "Thank you. I think she was worried about not being believed."

"It was nice meeting you," Asriel said, "Dad asked us to get some water from the faucet..."

"Tap," Chara said quietly, at the foreign wizard's quizzical look.

"So we should be going," Asriel finished, glancing at Chara, who shrugged.

"You should go see where the Irish and Bulgarians are set up," Roland told them, "It is quite the sight."

With that advice, they actually did detour through the bright green Irish enclave. They saw a couple of Frisk's fellow students talking among themselves. "I thought the wizards were supposed to be keeping a low profile," Asriel said.

"Probably want to show off because everyone's here," Frisk said. "Let's go find the water." On the way back, they saw Opal again, who had been set up near the community facuet, and a few others that Frisk recognized. She introduced the others both to Walter Wilcox and Kevin Ducan, and went to look at the group of Bulgarians supporters before they returned back.

"Go visiting?" Toriel asked as they returned, "You've been gone for a while," but she was smiling. This had been Asriel's first chance to really socialize since coming up from the underground. "Did you make a good impression?"

* * *

They'd pulled one of the tables out into the summer sun and spent much of the afternoon playing one of the board games that Asgore had brought with him. As they were near the heart of the campsite, they had their share of visitors, many of whom Asgore knew.

There was Ludo Bagman, who was going to be commenting on the match that night. He had wanted to wager the match, but Asgore had turned him down. "Have to set a good example for the kids, you know." Chara and Asriel had glanced at Frisk. Both of them apparently remembered she'd wagered on snail racing. There was Barty Crouch, who came to drag Bagman away to actually work, and there was Fritz Filch. "Head of the newly formed Monster Wizards Relations Department," said Asgore, and in lower tones "And only member." But he had been pulled to assist with security, and had only been spotted running towards some sort of emergency.

As night began to fall, the gentle buzz of conversation grew louder and louder in excitement. Finally Asgore put their game away. "Well?" he asked, "Ready to see what Quidditch is all about?"

"Yes," Toriel sad firmly. "Anyone need to use the restroom before we go?" She asked, but no one did, so she led the children down the magically lit path toward the stadium. They were assaulted on all sides by concession sellers, trinket merchants, and all sorts of other loud sounds, and Asriel had sunk into his mother's side from all the cacophony.

"Can we buy some programs?" Chara asked, having to raise her voice to be heard over the noise. Toriel nodded, and passed some gold to the vendor, and received program magazines in return. Then they headed towards the entrance, where Asgore presented a witch with their tickets.

"Top box!" she said excitedly. "Prime seats, stairs are right there, all the way up!"

The stairs were right there, so they began to climb. "They took a whole year to build this," Asgore said, as they continued their ascent. There had to be hundred of thousands of wizards and witches taking their seats around them. And when they got to the Top Box... "Mr. Weasley!" he said, smiling.

Frisk got to her seat, and saw nearly the entire Weasley clan already sitting in the top box, along with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. "Ginny!" Frisk said, "You did get to come! I'm so glad." Ginny, along with her brother Ron, had put their souls on the line for Asriel.

"I did," Ginny said, smiling, and tapping the chair next to her. They sat down, the three children in the front row, with Asgore and Toriel in the back. The box filled over the next fifteen minutes or so. "And here he is, our benefactor," Asgore said, "Minister Fudge. Thank you very much for the tickets."

Fudge nodded in acknowledgment. "King Asgore," he said, "May I introduce the Bulgarian minister of magic."

The Bulgarian minister babbled something at Asgore, which Asgore took as a greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"And that's Harry Potter," said Fudge, moving down the line. "You know, the boy who lived! You do know who he is, right?" The Bulgarian minister pointed and babbled something else, seemingly very excited. "Knew we'd get there eventually," Fudge said tiredly. "Ah! There's Lucius Malfoy!"

Frisk whirled around. She'd met Draco Malfoy, Lucius's son, a few times, and she wasn't particularly fond of him. But he was Chara's cousin, and that was her uncle. The uncle that had turned her parents in for being supporters of Voldemort. Standing next to him was a woman, presumably his wife.

"You've heard of the Dreemurrs, right?" said Fudge, "King Asgore, Queen Toriel, and the children, Asriel..."

"Ah yes," Lucius drawled, "I read about how they rescued Asriel. The unspeakables were involved, and it was all hush hush. Perhaps King Asgore can tell me exactly what happened."

"He knows he can't," sighed Fudge. "I'd like nothing better than to tell you, but we've agreed that it needs to stay within the Department of Mysteries. And you know their adopted children, Frisk and Chara..."

Lucius Malfoy turned white, and he gripped the handle of his staff. His wife paled as well, and fell into the chair that she was about to sit in.

The minister was oblivious to all of this. "Where is young Chara?" he asked.

"She said something about needing to go to the bathroom," Asriel said. "I'm sure she'll be back before the start of the match."

"Mother?" Draco asked, the first time Frisk had ever heard him sound concerned about anything. "Are you alright?"

"I haven't thought of her in years, Draco. Chara was your cousin's name, Uncle Jasper and Aunt's Annabel's daughter. We never found out what happened to her, after the Aurors came to get them. They never found the body. They never found the body..."

Draco looked startled. "I had a cousin?"

The Dreemurs looked at each other uncomfortably, but the minister had moved on, much to everyone's relief.

* * *

It was a Quidditch game, and that was all Frisk was willing to say about it. It was a good game, she understood that, and watching the chasers was really interesting. But the sportsmanship of the mascots was terrible, how this was supposed to be supporting international magical cooperation was something Frisk just didn't understand.

"That was really exciting," Asriel said, "They were so good on those brooms, especially that Victor Krum!"

"I've never seen anyone fly like that," Chara said. Chara had reappeared as soon as the Malfoys weren't paying attention to her any more.

"Did you not like your uncle?" Asriel asked her. "Did you not want them to know you're alive?"

"I just think it's safer," Chara said, "If they knew I was still alive, it raises a lot of awkward questions. And I don't know if my parents should know that I'm alive."

They got back to their tent, still talking about the match. Much like Frisk, Toriel had been disgusted by the mascots, though Asgore thought the game itself had potential. When they got back to their tent, they had some cocoa, and then turned in for the night. Or at least, they tried.

"Get up!" Asgore said urgently, and there was an unusual tone to his voice, anger. "There's something going on outside! Toriel, get up!"

Frisk stumbled out of the children's room groggily, Asriel and Chara behind her. "What's going on?"

Toriel looked about as awake as Frisk felt, but she gathered herself and joined Asgore outside the tent. When Frisk, and the others stumbled their way outside, they were presented with a terrible sight. The campsite was still lit, but a crowd had gathered and not far way, and above the crowd...

"Are those muggles?" Chara asked. She was right, the entire Roberts family were suspended in the air and... it was even worse than that.

"Those are children," Toriel said, and Frisk could feel the fury radiating from her voice. The only time Frisk had heard sound like this was right after her mother had attacked Flowey, right after she had fallen into the underground. "Do you think you can catch both of the adults?"

"Yes," Asgore rumbled. "Stay behind us, children. Are we striking them?"

Fire appeared around Toriel's hands. "Not if we don't have to." And, as if they'd been doing this all their lives, they charged forward, fire flying through the air. The masked individuals must not have seen them coming, because only some of them moved to dodge the attack. The flames licked towards the group of masked wizards, directly at the two in the center who stared at their oncoming doom; but the spells jinked in the air, missing them by inches.

At that, the wizards looked towards their attackers, just in time for one of them to be completely bashed aside by Asgore, and Toriel fired another bolt. As that happened, the spells that supported the Roberts failed, and they started to fall.

Toriel reached up, catching one of the two small children in her left arm, the other in her right. Asgore gathered Mr. Roberts, slowing his fall, and placing him on the ground. But Ms. Roberts remained falling slowly, her descent interrupted by spells coming from ministry wizards.

Frisk felt herself releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding. The masked wizards had scattered and disapparated, but at least the Roberts were safe.


	3. Aftermath

Asgore turned toward Mr. Roberts. The human stared at the monster, too scared to even run. "What's going on?" he asked, swaying slightly. "Who... what are you? Where," he looked around frantically, "Where's my wife? Where are my children?"

"It's okay," Asgore said, taking Mr. Roberts hand in a large paw. "Your wife is right here," He continued, helping up Ms. Roberts with his other paw. He stepped backward letting the Roberts see each other. "Torii?" he asked.

Toriel had put down the larger of the two children, a raven haired girl of not quite Frisk's age. She looked shaken, but not completely terrified. The other child was a boy. He couldn't be older than preschool age. He was sobbing uncontrollably, and Toriel was rocking him in her arms. "You're safe, you're safe" she repeated. Toriel finally looked up when Asgore called to her a second time.

Ms. Roberts was standing right beside the monster, mutely holding her arms out to Toriel. Toriel gently handed over the young boy. Ms Roberts embraced him, starting to cry. Toriel moved to comfort her, putting her arm around the human's shoulder.

Asriel, along with his siblings, approached the older child, who had moved next to her mother. "Howdy," he said, giving a nervous smile, "Are you okay?"

She was breathing quickly, her brown eyes had gone wide at the sight of the monster. "I think so. But what is that?" she asked, pointing over the forest that bordered the campsite. Frisk turned around, and stared. The girl was pointing into the air, at a giant, gleaming, green skull hovering over the forest, staring down towards them. This was not a pleasant looking skull, like Sans or Papyrus had, but a proper death's head, with emerald colored lights glittering from sockets, and a snake protruding where a human tongue would have been.

"No!" Chara said, recoiling backward, "It can't be! He's **gone!** "

"Chara?" Frisk asked, looking toward her sister, the fear in her sister's voice sending a shiver down her spine."You know what that thing is?"

"It's **his** symbol," Chara said, her eyes wide and her voice quaking. "It's the dark lord's symbol. Those people in the masks, were they Death Eaters? I thought they'd all been sent to Azkaban, or killed."

"We should leave that be," Frisk whispered. "At least around her," she nodded at the girl still in close with her mother.

"What, oh, I guess. You're right," Chara said, swallowing and looking around, noting the Roberts presence again.

"But what are you?" she asked Asriel, perhaps not registering any of that. "Are those," she looked at Asgore and Toriel, and stammered out again, "Are those your parents? Was that... magic?"

"I'm a friend," Asriel said firmly. "And yes, those are my parents, Asgore and Toriel. They saw what was happening, and they came immediately. You needed help. And yes, that was magic," he admitted.

"Magic is real," she said, falling silent, staring out at the campground.

A few minutes later, ministry wizards rushed up to them. "Step back from them, please," said the lead one, a balding older wizard in officious tones, "We need to modify their memories." Toriel looked up sharply at this. "It's for the best," The wizard said. "They'll be better off they don't remember this trauma. "

"What?" the girl said, looking up wildly, "Magic exists! I've always wanted magic to exist!" she tugged at her mother's pajamas. "Please, don't let them do this!" When her mother didn't react, she turned pleading eyes to Asriel, and then Toriel.

Toriel looked down at the young girl, "Do you have to?" Toriel asked the wizard, gently.

"It could lead to a breach of magical security," the wizard said. "Yes, I have to."

Toriel knelt down, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I will be right here, I will make sure nothing happens to you, my child."

Behind her, multiple wizards raised their wands, and Frisk could hear them call out 'Obliviate' almost as one. Beams of light blue light flashed forward past her into all four of the Roberts family. Frisk could see her mother closing her eyes, taking a hold of Asriel, and pulling him out of the family's line of sight. The wizards hurried forward to the dazed looking Roberts family, escorting them quickly back to their house at the edge of the campground.

"Asgore," Toriel said, "Please get the children back to bed. I'll be right back," she said, following behind ministry wizards.

"Please," Asriel said, staring up at his mother, "I want to go with Mom," he sounded more shocked now then he did before.

"You heard your mother," Asgore said. "Come, let's get back into the tent. I don't think there's anything else going to happen tonight. But you don't have to go to bed just yet, I'll make us some tea, and we can talk about it."

* * *

Frisk woke back up as the sun was coming up. Asgore and Toriel was already awake, as was Chara. Though Frisk didn't think her sister looked like she had gotten much rest, and she had been awake when Frisk had dropped off to sleep. Asriel had been awake too, talking to Dad, but he was still snoring away now.

"Asgore's been up to look at the Portkey line," Toriel said, fishing a small carton of milk out of an icebox, and producing a few travel boxes of cereal. "They're prioritizing the ministry wizards. They've got a lot of extra work with the riot last night, so several them are going into the office. We have to wait, so we might as well relax for a little bit."

They were eating breakfast when a tap came at the tent's flap. "Come in," called Asgore.

A squared-jaw witch with graying hair and alert blue eyes swept in the room. "Ah, my apologies, Mr. Dreemurr. Is this a bad time?" she asked, looking over the family seated at the table.

"Ah, not at all, Madam Bones," Asgore said. "Take a seat, and make yourself comfortable. You've met my wife Toriel, I know," he continued, "and these are my children, Frisk and Chara. Asriel's still asleep. Frisk, Chara, Madam Amelia Bones is the head of Magical law enforcement."

"Thank you, and I'll keep my voice down," she promised as she pulled up the remaining seat to the table, though Frisk wasn't so sure, Madam Bones's voice seemed to default to pretty loud. "But Mister, Ms. Dreemurr," she continued. "Can I ask you for your statement of what happened last night?

"Certainly," Asgore said. It sounded like he'd been expecting this. He went over everything they saw the night before, from the sight of the Roberts in the air, to the appearance of the Dark mark, and the obliviating of the Roberts family. Toriel added her own comments as well. Madam Bones had taken out a quill, and was making notes. During this time, Asriel woke up, and came to join the rest of them, sitting on the floor.

"I just have a few things I'd like clarification on," Madam Bones said. "I'll start with the long shot. Did you happen to recognize any of the wizards in the masks that had assaulted the muggles?"

"Sadly, no," Asgore said, and Toriel nodded her agreement. "They were wearing masks, and too far away. They disapparated when someone actually stood up to them."

"Or when they saw the mark," said Madam Bones, tapping the quill on the parchment. "Didn't think you would, but I had to ask."

"Did they catch who ever conjured that?" Chara asked, her voice small.

"No. The only thing they found there was a house elf with a stolen wand," Madam Bones said, shaking her head. "Like an elf is going to know how to cast a mark by a bunch of blood purity psychopaths. But Ol' Crouch is going to fire her anyway, I think. Pity." She glanced at her notes. "There was just one more thing, what prompted you to charge in like that? You weren't actively working security."

Toriel's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying we shouldn't have helped?"

"Not at all," Madam Bones clarified, "But I want to know if there was a specific thing that made you act."

"The children," Toriel said. "There were two helpless children just hanging in midair, spinning like tops." She focused the law enforcement witch with a steely gaze. "I'm not going to stand for **anyone** hurting children. Human," Toriel looked at Chara and Frisk, "Monster," she said, looking as Asriel, still sitting on the floor, "Or anyone," she looked back at Madam Bones.

Madam Bones looked at Toriel speculatively before scratching another note onto the parchment.

"Why are you asking?" Frisk asked, wondering if her parents were about to be in trouble with the ministry.

Madam Bones turned to peer at Frisk, then at Toriel again, then set down her pen. "The minister has been surveying his top officers about monsters. I was thinking of how the other magical races would have dealt with this. If it's not their family, and they're not ordered to help, house elves don't lift a finger. Not that they're insensitive," she explained quickly, "but they're that focused. Goblins look for any profit, if they don't see any, they write it off as wizards business and don't get involved."

"Centaurs," she continued, she paused in thought. "Probably don't interfere, as it's a human matter. Maybe some of them might have, they're very protective of their children as well, foals, if you would. Maybe. They'd think of it as proof that humans aren't to be bothered with. Trolls, if they're smart enough to know what's going on, might just join in. But if they're around, they've probably been hired, and do whatever they've been paid to do," she shrugged.

"But you two, you've shown your colors. And you managed to do it without hurting anyone, and without causing further damage." Madam Bones smiled. "I heard how the fire magic dodged around the person who couldn't get out of the way. I'm not sure I'd have shown the same mercy myself, but I can certainly understand people who do. And you stayed with them afterward. There's a lot of wizards who respond to trouble by disapparating away from it, and you run towards it."

"Thanks?" said Toriel. Frisk tried to work out if that was something to be proud of or not.

"It was meant as a compliment," Madam Bones said, "I hope it came out as one," she stood and offered her hand out to both Toriel and Asgore, who shook it in turn. "I've got a ton of paperwork to do now, and, oh. If you want to report in about forty five minutes to Basil at the portkey point, they'll be ready to send you home." Asgore stood and walked Madam Bones out of the tent.

"I wonder what that was all about," wondered Asriel aloud.

"Not sure," Asgore said, as he came back inside, "But if we want to make the time, we'd better pack up."

But as they were packing and taking down the tent (which was much easier than set up), they were approached a second time. "Hey there," said a middle age wizard, as he approached what was left of the Dreemurr's camp. "I'm Kikis Trecus, I'm a reporter for the Daily Prophet. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about last night. At least, if Rita Skeeter hasn't scooped me yet, has she?" he asked, looking around, as if expecting her to pop out of the one remaining nearby tent.

"Uh, no," Asgore said, a bit flustered, his hands full of tent poles. "I'm sorry. I'm kind of busy, I have a portkey to catch."

"I'll talk to him, Asgore," Toriel said. "If it'll be only be a few minutes, Mr. Trecus?"

"I'll be quick!" he promised, as they stepped off to one side. "You see, I'm normally the sports reporter, but since I'm right here for the cup..."

"Come on, kids," Asgore said. "Let's get those packs loaded..."

The Oxtobys met them at the point. They looked shaken, as Mr. Oxtoby didn't use magic himself, but otherwise unhurt. "Be kind of a relief to get back to work and get my mind off of this," he admitted. They arrived back on the secluded park in Devon; the Oxtobys headed back to their car; and the Dreemurrs began the long walk back to their home.

"Well, that was certainly something," Asgore said as they piled around their dining room table for lunch. "You know, I never even asked what you all thought about the match."

* * *

They didn't think much about the incident for the next day when the mail came in. "Torii?" Asgore said. "Did you subscribe us to the Daily Prophet?"

"No, but Kikis said he was going to send us a copy if his article got published," Toriel said, stepping into the kitchen as the kids were having pancakes.

"Ah, think we got two then, one must be yesterday's," Asgore said, holding up the first paper that read, in giant capital letters, " **Scenes of terror at the Quidditch World Cup**!" Asgore skimmed it briefly. "Mentions that we took the lead, but mostly seems to be raking the ministry over the coals. Was this... no, Rita Skitter." He folded it back up, and took the other paper that had been delivered. "Ah, yes, this is more interesting. Nicer to the ministry, and yes," he held up a black and white picture of Toriel, blinking in the sun, captioned, "Monsters take the lead in assisting muggles." "Says we were, 'Backed up by ministry law enforcement and obliviators.'."

"Buried in the middle of the paper," noted Toriel. "After the previous day's panic. Makes one think about how much they care about getting the story right, or if they just want to sell papers. But this explains all the posts on UnderNet hoping we were safe. I thought Alphys was going to have a heart attack."

As she was speaking, a second owl came in, dropping a total of three letters on the table in front of Asgore. "Lots of mail today," Asgore noted, taking the first letter, turning it over in his hand. "Ah, Frisk, this is for you," he said, passing it over to her. "And, Chara, one for you. And the third one must be for you, Azzy," he said, handing the others out.

"Go ahead and open yours first, Frisk," Asriel told her.

Frisk did, slicing it open with her pocket knife. "Oh, I think it's my list of school supplies," she said, pulling out the piece of paper from the envelope and looking down it. "Dress robes?" she asked. "What could be that for?"

"Oh, about time. Sarah said Opal had hers before they left for the cup," Toriel said, holding out her paw for the list. "She wanted to know if we wanted to go together."

Frisk had handed her pocket knife to Chara, who slit open her own piece of mail. She drew the parchment out, "It's an acceptance letter. For Hogwarts," but Chara didn't sound thrilled. "Do I have to go?"

"Chara," Asriel said, his eyes wide, "Don't you want to go? It's an honor to go, right? Don't you want to be a wizard?"

Chara didn't look at the letter, she was looking directly at Asriel. "I don't want to leave you again. It was a bad idea the first time. And... and if I go to Hogwarts with Frisk... who stays with you?"

Frisk swallowed. Did she want to continue going to Hogwarts? She didn't want to leave Asriel or Chara behind. Not like that. There was silence at the table, as another post owl silently swooped in through an open window, depositing a large envelope in front of Asgore.

"You can have time to think about it, Chara," Toriel said gently, "For the moment, why don't I take that list of schools supplies, so it doesn't get lost?"

Absently, Asgore took out his own letter opener, slitting the envelope that had just arrived for him, and took out an official looking document. Frisk had caught a glimpse of the Ministry of Magic letterhead. He looked it over, his eyes growing wider and wider, until he finally let out a gasp.

"Asgore?" Toriel said sharply, turning to her husband, "What's wrong?"

"Azzy?" Asgore said, ignoring her, "Have you opened your letter yet?" he looked away from his own piece of parchment. "You need to, right now."

"Dad?" Asriel asked, looking at his father. "What's wrong?"

"Right now!" Asgore repeated, his voice a mixture of awe and urgency.

"Chara?" Asriel held out his hand for Frisk's knife, and slit the letter open. Frisk and Chara both craned their necks, trying to see what had made their father so excited. Asriel blinked at it disbelievingly. "I thought," he whispered. "I thought they said we weren't allowed... because we weren't human."

"You weren't allowed to what?" asked Frisk, though realization, and impossible hope, had begun to well inside her.

"I've been invited to study at Hogwarts," Asriel said in wonder, the hands holding the letter were shaking with excitement. "I'm going to be allowed to learn wand magic."


	4. Earning your wand

Toriel turned to stare at her son. "What?" she asked, "But I thought." She looked at Asriel, then at Asgore, then at Asriel again. "How?"

Frisk was equally dumbfounded. But Chara was excited, and it was possibly the happiest Frisk had ever seen her. "Can I see it, Asriel?" she asked. Mutely, Asriel pulled the letter from the envelope and handed it over. "It is, it's just like mine," Chara said, her eyes shining, and above all, Chara sounded relieved.

"Frisk... I get to go with you, with Chara, to Hogwarts!" Asriel exclaimed, it still sinking in.

"Is this real?" asked Toriel.

"It is," Asgore confirmed. "We've just received an invitation to the ministry for an acknowledgment of our heroics during the Quidditch World Cup. Afterwards, it will be announced that Asriel will be allowed to attend Hogwarts on a provisional status." His eyes traveled down the paper. "Oh," he said, and looked up at the rest of the table. "We need to prepare, ah, now," he continued. "The ceremony is this afternoon."

"What?" Toriel asked again, shocked back into action. She stood, "If there's to be a ceremony at the ministry, we need to get you kids presentable!"

Frisk felt herself pulled to her feet by a very excited Asriel. "We'll go get ready right now, Mom!"

The next hour was spent finding appropriate clothes and getting absolutely clean. Hair and fur was fully washed, blown dry, and brushed down. Frisk and Chara were both put into purple dresses that matched Toriel's own, while Asgore and Asriel wore nice suits of a similar shade. The overall effect, in Frisk's opinion, was the impression that the Dreemurrs were a collectable set.

"When did you get these, Mom?" Frisk asked. Her dress was somewhat uncomfortable, it was just so slightly small, and it pinched across her shoulders.

"Beginning of the summer," Toriel told her, "I had Ms. Malkin size them. Looks like you've grown a bit since then." Chara looked uncomfortable too, but didn't say anything.

There was time for a quick lunch before it was time to go. Food choices were limited, though. Anything Asgore thought had the remotest chance to stain was vetoed. "We want to present our best face to the ministry," he told them. So they were pretty much limited to toast, unmelted cheese, and an apple.

They traveled by Floo powder again, directly into the ministry of magic. Frisk had never been there before and took in the whole spectacle with wide eyes. A few of the wizards crossing the atrium looked startled at the Dreemurrs appearances, but most of them merely nodded at Asgore in acknowledgment.

To Frisk's surprise, there was another monster in the atrium. Woshua was there, merrily cleaning up some sort of spill. With Toriel's permission, Frisk went over to say hello.

The little bird chirped as Frisk approached, causing Woshua to look up at her, smiling. "Gleam means clean!" Frisk was told, as Woshua finished rubbing out the stain on the floor.

"I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself," Frisk said, "And that you're working well with the ministry." Toriel called out for her, and Frisk was forced to hurry back and join her parents at the security desk. Frisk got there just in time to be prompted for her wand, which she handed up to the wizard manning the desk.

He turned the unpolished wand over in his hands. "Just the one wand?" he asked, placing Frisk's wand in a brass scale.

"Just the one, Eric," Asgore said.

"The other two haven't started school yet," Toriel said, beaming. "They start this fall."

"Other two?" Eric said in surprise, looking down at Chara and Asriel. He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to Asgore. "Is something going on, Asgore?"

"There is," Asgore said, smiling as well. "But I'd hate to steal Fudge's thunder. It's not a good strategy, is it, Eric?"

"Heh," Eric said, "No, I reckon it isn't," he pulled a slip, reading it over. "Pear, nine inches, core of..." he looked up in surprise. "Monster fur? Yours?" he asked. Asgore pointed at Toriel. "I didn't know Ollivander did wands like that."

"He did for us," Toriel said. "But we need to get upstairs, or we'll be late, Eric."

Eric stabbed the piece of paper onto a spindle with a number of other papers, and handed Frisk her wand back. "Right then, take care Asgore, Toriel." Asgore and Toriel nodded at him, and led the group down the hall to bank of golden elevators.

Asriel nudged Chara, "This place is amazing, did you see the fountain? I thought they were going to move, they look so lifelike."

"Wait until you see Hogwarts," Frisk said.

"I can't wait!" Asriel said.

Frisk glanced over at Chara. She was back to looking withdrawn and slightly sad. Unsure what was bothering her sister, Frisk nudged her. "Are you okay, Chara?"

"What?" Chara asked, startled out of some deep thought. "Oh, I'm alright. I was just thinking about Hogwarts. What I know about it, that is."

"You don't look okay," Frisk said. But Chara just gave Frisk a forced smile, and said nothing else. Finally, an elevator dinged open, and the group pressed into the back of one, children first. Other wizards pressed in behind them, many of whom were polishing off some remains of lunch.

"Top floor, please," called Asgore. "We're in a bit of a tight spot here." Someone must have hit some button, though Frisk couldn't see it, because the elevator lurched slightly, then began a smooth upward motion. At each floor, people got out, and a few paper airplanes zoomed in.

"Inner-departmental memos," Asgore said, as Frisk and Asriel looked up in surprise. "Or so I'm told. I generally just work in the monster liaison office, and haven't ever been targeted by one." By the third floor, the only other thing in the elevator was a single airplane, and it departed on the second. When the elevator opened on the first floor, they all exited. "This way," Asgore pointed. "The minister has a reception area that we're supposed to meet him in. As they headed down the hallway, they passed a woman wearing deep magenta robes, with very curly hair. Sharp eyes stared at the monsters through jeweled spectacles. She shook her head, and made to follow them.

When they arrived at the reception room, though, they were waved in by a ministry official. "Ah, Mister and Miss Dreemurr, go on. The minister is waiting for you." But he blocked the woman following them. "I'm sorry, Ms. Skeeter. I've strict orders from the minister, you're not to be allowed in."

"Really? And you're letting that sports reporter Trecus in?" Rita asked, as the door was shut behind the Dreemur's. "Don't think I can't see what the minister is up to..."

The room was about half full with wizards, a few sitting on a raised stage, including Mr. Fudge and Madam Bones. An unoccupied podium stood in the center of that stage. Other wizards were settled in a number of chairs facing the stage. Frisk recognized Trecus, wearing a grin as he chatted with a woman next to him. She also recognized Headmaster Dumbledore, who caught her eye with a smile and a nod, then he waved to Asgore, who stepped over to him.

"Thank you for seeing to my friend Lupin," Dumbledore said quietly. "He is a good man who needs to be made to see that sometimes."

"It's my pleasure," said Asgore. Frisk saw her father look at her and the other children for a moment. "It's also the least I can do."

Dumbledore waved that aside. "I merely facilitated. They did that on their own. But, ah, don't keep the minister waiting." Asgore turned and hurried up to join Toriel and the children on stage.

"I do apologize for the short notice," Fudge said as they approached. "But we wanted the event to still be fresh in people's mind." He paused. "Will you want to say a few words?"

Asgore blinked. "Maybe after the second announcement. Let me have time to think of it."

After about ten minutes, and another few wizards filing in, the minister stepped up to the lectern. "We are gathered today to acknowledge the heroics of the Dreemurr monster family," the minister began. Frisk gave him credit, he was a good speaker, and he held the attention of the gathered wizards.

Most of them. "Who's that?" Asriel asked, as the minister described the Dreemur's charge to free the Muggles, as Madam Bones nodded in agreement. 'That' was a short squat, grim looking woman in a rather bright pink robe. "She looks like a frogitt," Asriel said. Frisk had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing, because Asriel was absolutely right.

"And, with that in mind, the ministry is honored to award both Asgore Dreemurr and Toriel Dreemurr with the Order of Merlin, Second Class," Fudge ended with a flourish, pinning a silver emblem on the robe of first Toriel, then Asgore. There was applause from nearly all of the assembled wizards. Only the frogitt woman made no motions, in fact, she looked even more dark and grim.

"Which brings me to my second announcement today," Fudge continued. "As the Dreemurrs have made strides into integrating into the wizarding community, it is only fair that we do the same. With the agreement of Headmaster Dumbledore," he indicated the professor sitting in the audience, who gave a nod in recognition. "I am pleased to announce that Asriel Dreemurr will be the first monster to enroll at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry."

A small gasp ran through the assembled wizards. But Dumbledore was the first to applaud the minister's words, and another wave of applause swept over the room. "We hope that this brings relations between monsters and wizards even closer. Together."

Frisk suddenly realized that Toriel was crying. Smiling, but crying at the same time. If Frisk had to guess, it was because she was remembering the day they had come from the barrier: Accosted by wizards, hidden away. But this, this was the wizarding community suggesting they just might _belong_ with them. Frisk felt tears trickle on her own cheeks, and smiling herself, wiped them away.

From his seat, Asgore spoke up, "Minister Fudge has kindly yielded the floor to me, but I have nothing to add, he said it all. I only hope that we continue to build on the trust that we have been shown here today."

"Thank you for coming today," Fudge said, and stepped back from the podium.

The assembled wizards in the audience stood, and made their way out as Asgore and Fudge talked about more mundane manners. When the room cleared, they said their farewells, and headed back to the door.

"Asgore Dreemurr!" came the call as soon as they were clear of the reception area, "Do you have time to answer a few questions?" It was the same magenta robed woman from before. She didn't wait for an answer. "What does it mean to have the first non-human in Hogwarts? What does this mean for relationships between monsters and other non-human races? Do you think monsters are superior to Goblins and Centaurs, for example?"

"That's enough of that," Asgore rumbled. "We are honored that Asriel will be allowed to attend Hogwarts, and that is all that means. We bear no malice for anyone else, and would work toward integrating with the other races." He glared back at her, one of the few times Frisk had seen him visibly upset. When she didn't ask anything else, he walked past her, back to the elevators.

"Ah, minister, minister!" she called as he came out of the reception room himself. But the elevator doors closed and Frisk didn't hear anything else.

"How did she get in, anyway?" Toriel asked. "What an unpleasant human. Suggesting we would think ourselves superior to other races?"

"She turns up every so often," Asgore said, as the elevator glided down to the atrium. "I suspect someone has a deal going with the Daily Prophet. But I have no idea what that is. Anyway, we have time this afternoon, and we're out already, maybe we should just head to Diagon Alley and pick up their school supplies."

"That sounds like a great idea, Asgore," Toriel said.

* * *

Toriel had tried three times to get Ms. Oxtoby on her cell phone, but each time had no reception. She finally managed to get a signal out standing in a corner of the Leaky Cauldron, barely. "That sounds good, Sarah, we'll meet you for dinner then, at six? Right. See you then." She disconnected her call. "Maybe I can get Alphys to work on a cell phone that gets reception in magical areas," she complained.

"Where are we going today?" Asgore asked. "I missed this the first time. I'm not missing it again."

Toriel consulted her lists. "Well, same things that we needed last year. Books, robes, including dress robes, materials for potions, and of course, they'll need each need a wand."

"Can we start there?" Asriel asked, his green eyes practically glowing.

"With the wands?" Toriel confirmed. "Let's."

Ollivanders (and Frisk's mind, there still seemed to be an apostrophe missing) was not the largest shop, and as all five of them entered, it started to feel somewhat cramped. Asgore didn't quite have to duck once inside, but it was close.

"Another Hogwarts student?" asked Ollivander from the back room.

"Two of them," called Toriel.

Ollivander came out into the main room of the shop, adding to the cramped feeling. He scanned the room, his eyes resting on Chara for a moment, before they came to Frisk. "Ah, does the young lady need a replacement, so soon? I did think that not polishing the wand may lead it to become fragile, but she was so adamant..."

"Not me," Frisk said, pointing. "Them."

Ollivander's eyes widened as he took in Asriel, and before he could decline them, Asgore spoke up. "It's been permitted, Mr. Ollivander," he said, pulling out his letter from the minister, and handing it over. The wand maker read it, his expression not changing, but he smiled at the end, and handed the letter back to him.

"Well then," he said, rubbing his hands together. "This should prove an excellent challenge. Who shall be first?"

"You can go first, Asriel," Chara said, quietly, looking away from Ollivander's excited gaze.

"Take a seat, and tell me something about yourself, young Asriel," Ollivander said, looking through the shop. "Which, before you do, reminds me, Ms. Dreemurr. I have not found many matches with monster fur at the core, but it leads me to think I need to reconsider the family attachment to the magic. It was something my grandfather Gerbold wrote at length on, but haven't managed to research properly myself. It simply doesn't come up."

"Then maybe these two?" suggested Toriel.

"Quite possibly! It is one of many things to consider," Ollivander agreed. "Now, I apologize, Asriel. Just tell me something you enjoy doing."

"Being with my siblings," Asriel said, indicating Frisk and Chara. "Exploring, playing games, everything."

"Ah, well, being a brother, we should start with a brother, or at least a cousin of your sister's wand," Ollivander said. He selected a stack of wands, climbed a ladder, and pulled from the near the top. "Pear, with a core of monster fur," he opened the box presenting the wand to Asriel. He leaned forward, excited to see what would happen.

Asriel looked at the wand in the box in awe, then picked it out. There was no obvious reaction, and at Ollivander's request, gave it experimental wave. Small motes of silver light dripped from the wand, but that was all that happened.

"You are not your sister," Ollivander said. Asriel and Frisk laughed at this, even Chara cracked a brief smile. "And I realize that is obvious, but your wand is not her wand either. And yet, it reacted! That itself is a good sign. Perhaps there is too much familial closeness. So, if not pear," he looked at Asriel intently."Perhaps rowan, not dragon heartstring... unicorn hair. Yes." He selected the box, and brought it to Asriel to try.

Once again, the lack of obvious magic upon Asriel taking it up suggested it wasn't the right choice. But there must have been something to it that Ollivander noticed because he became silent and nodded to himself. "The core might be right, but I have stepped in the wrong direction with the wood. Apples and oranges may be different, but pears are somewhat similar. I don't have many apple wands, but I do have some. Let us try a Phoenix feather core."

When Asriel grasped this wand, he gave a low whistle in surprise. "It's warm," he said in wonder. He waved it without prompting, a rainbow of light trailing after the wand's tip.

"That is outstanding, young Asriel! To think I would see a monster given a wand so soon after reaching the surface," he looked up at the adult Dreemurrs. "And that he found such an excellent match! These are exciting times! Come, Asriel, stand, and let young..." he stopped. "My pardon, what is your name?"

"Chara," Frisk barely heard her sister mumble.

"I'm sorry," Ollivander said, "Once again?"

"My name's Chara, Mr. Ollivander," Chara said a bit louder, looking up and meeting his eyes for a moment before looking down again. She moved to the single seat in the store, taking Asriel's place.

"Chin up, young Chara," Olivander told her, "This is a happy day. I certainly have a wand in my shop that will choose you to be its wizard. Tell me something about yourself."

"There isn't much to tell," said Chara. Frisk felt her heart pang. Chara had locked away what happened before she had returned at the end of last year. Her growing up with her real parents, what happened before Frisk had fallen to the underground. "None of that means anything anymore," she said.

"But I must have somewhere to start, Chara," He looked puzzled. "What do you wish to do with your life? Or perhaps, what class you're most looking forward to?"

"I don't know," said Chara.

Asriel stepped forward, putting a paw on Chara's arm. Chara smiled briefly.

"Perhaps," Toriel said, rummaging in her bag, she pulled out a wand that Frisk recognized. It was the wand that she and Hermione Grander had buried with Chara's duplicate, allowing them to take the real Chara to the present. "You could start with this one?" Toriel suggested

"It seems old," Ollivander said, turning it over in his hands. "Holly, Dragon heartstring, which is not where I would have started." Olivander started suddenly, looking at Toriel in astonishment. "I remember this wand, but this isn't possible. I sold this to Dumbledore not two months ago. How did it get so old?"

"Proscribed by the unspeakables," Asgore said. "Sorry, we can't answer that."

"Fascinating, I remember discussing what we knew about what that wand needed to do," Ollivander said, tapping his nose. "Rather than taking the time to put a new core in this one, perhaps a brother wand," Ollivander said, pulling a wand from the bottom of a stack, while teetered dangerously before settling back on it. "Now I see why," Ollivander said, considering Chara. He held out the box.

Hesitantly, Chara picked it up, and while not instantly, a soft silver glow did form around the tip. Ollivander nodded in satisfaction. "It's almost a match. Which tells me, young Chara, that I, and Dumbledore, of course, made a good decision in the first place. Ms. Toriel, I will be happy to place a new dragon heartstring core in the wand you already have. May I?"

Toriel handed the wand over.

"This won't take but a few minutes," Ollivander said. Taking it, he disappeared into the back of his shop for a few minutes, then returned, brandishing the wand. "Here you go, Chara, do try this."

The silver glow this time was instant and pronounced, and Chara stared at the wand. Her grip visibly tightened, and she drew it to her body. For the first time since she'd awoken in the medical wing of Hogwarts, Frisk saw her sister truly smile.

"Excellent work, Mr. Ollivander," Asgore said. "Now for the less enjoyable part," he grinned, pulling out his coin pouch. "How much do we owe you?"

 _A/N: Hey folks! If you see any editing errors or spelling mistakes, please feel free to smack me over the head via PM until I fix it. In the mean time, thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I've seen recommendations for the first story pop up on Reddit (on an Undertale list) on the Harry Potter Amino Site, and TVTropes itself, and that's all incredible to me. As always, thanks for reading!  
_


	5. Getting on Track

From Ollivanders, it was on to Madam Malkin's to get fitted for new robes. Through it all, Chara held on to her wand, not saying anything. But once inside the robe shop, it was a much better experience this time. Madam Malkin had relaxed over the year, and was talking pleasantly with Asgore and Toriel while measuring Chara for her Hogwarts robes.

"I remember reading about these two in the Daily Prophet, the Unspeakables were involved, right?" She asked, indicating Chara and Asriel. "But if they were, you can't talk about it, can you?" She laughed.

"That's right, I'm afraid," Asgore told her.

"There you go, dear," she told Chara, and turned to Frisk, "Did you want me to let out the robes a bit, Frisk?" Chara moved to take a seat next to her sister.

"Can I go next?" Asriel asked. Madam Malkin turned to him in astonishment. "Are you going to Hogwarts too?" She turned to Asgore for confirmation, and spotted the silver emblem on his suit. "Is that the Order of the Merlin?"

"Yes," Asgore said, his voice betraying his slight embarrassment. "For what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. The minister presented them earlier this afternoon."

"Oh, I read about that too! The Daily Prophet buried that story a bit, didn't they?" she rambled, starting to measure Asriel, "A monster at Hogwarts, that's going to make some people upset."

That got Frisk's attention, and everyone else's as well. "What do you mean?" Toriel asked.

"The usual suspects," Malkin said. She considered Asriel for a moment. "I think we'll go with the lighter fabric. Otherwise, you might be warm with your fur." She glanced up at Toriel for a moment. "You know, the 'purebloods' first lot. The old money aristocrats. The Lestranges and the Malfoys for example."

Chara froze, staring up at Madam Malkin for a moment before staring down at the floor. Frisk reached out to take her hand, but it was still gripping her new wand, so Frisk settled for placing her hand on Chara's shoulder. She could hear her sister whispering, "My name is Dreemurr," repeatedly to herself.

Asriel was good, he remained still, as Madam Malkin went to find appropriate robes to start with, but Frisk could see his eyes lock onto Chara. Toriel was about to sit next to Chara on the other side, when Malkin returned and dressed Asriel into new robes.

Asgore quietly took Toriel's place next to Chara, and put a large paw out on the armrest between them.

"How do I look?" Asriel asked, though his voice was subdued, and he kept sneaking glances at Chara.

"You look good," Toriel told him, fussing gently with his collar.

"You are your own person," Asgore told Chara. "Do not worry about what other people say. Do you remember what your mother told you, the day you woke back up?" Chara nodded. "It's still true."

"Thanks, Dad," Chara whispered, slipping her hand under his paw, finally releasing her death grip on the wand.

Frisk did want her robes let out a bit, and then there was was dress robes to be obtained for some unknown purpose. When they were finished in Madam Malkins, and headed back out onto the street, there was a brief check of the time. "We said we'd meet the Oxtobys at six. It's five fifteen now," Asgore said.

"That's enough time to get the books done, I think," Toriel said. "Flourish and Blots," she said, leading the way. It wasn't the only bookstore in Diagon Alley, but it was the one that carried the textbooks they needed. It was a much calmer store this time around, as the huge cage carrying 'The Monster Book of Monsters' was gone.

They gathered three copies of the standard book of spells, a grade two edition for Frisk, copies of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for Asriel and Chara, and new to all of them, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. "This must be for the new Defense teacher," Frisk said. "I heard some people wondering if the headmaster would hire a vampire this year."

Toriel stopped in her tracks, staring at Frisk with a horrified expression.

"I think she's kidding," Asriel said.

"Or at least they were," Asgore said, chuckling. When they finally headed to the checkout counter, where they poured out a veritable of avalanche of books.

"A second year and two first years?" the weary clerk asked. "You must be busy!"

"They're good kids," Asgore said, "But there is a lot to keep track of."

"You know," Toriel said, with a mischievous note in her voice, "What if I needed a copy of the monster book..."

"Special orders only!" the clerk exclaimed, wide eyed and horrified. "Though," he continued, calming down, "After that skeleton came through, and showed us how to handle them, they're not that bad. They're still awfully territorial though, so we're not stocking them."

"Skeleton?" asked Asgore.

"Papyrus," confirmed Frisk. "It's where the watchbook in your greenhouse came from."

Asgore withdrew his coin pouch to pay the total, and the clerk separated the books into multiple bags for carrying. When they got back out on the street, he looked at his phone, then at the group. "Dinner?"

He led the way back towards Gringotts, down a stairway beside what seemed to be a travel agency, and in to a large open restaurant. Several tables, many occupied by monsters, were spread throughout the space. The Snowdin Dog Patrol was in the back left corner, playing poker again. In the opposite corner, four wizards were setting up and testing instruments. At the bar in the back, currently working on the grill, was Grillby.

"I'll push a couple of tables together," Asgore said, setting the bags down, and heading into the mix.

"Didn't you hear us calling?" asked a voice from behind them. Frisk turned around, and the Oxtobys were there, all of them carrying their own bundles of packages. Frisk couldn't help but notice a long flat package that almost certainly contained a broom.

"Sarah," Toriel said, smiling. "Come, let's get seats."

The children segregated themselves, but were compelled by their parents to order first. The menu was written in large script on the wall. "I've never seen so many types of hamburger," Opal said. "Isn't there anything else?"

"You've never had burgers like Grillby's," Frisk promised, though memories of wasted Grillby burgers from the loops danced in her memories. "And try some of Grillby's Fries, as well." They had to go up to the counter to order, and Asgore allowed the Oxtobys to go first, at least in part because Asriel hadn't decided yet.

When they came back, the Dreemurrs went up to place their own order, with Frisk ordering a "Garlic Grillby". Asriel wrinkled his muzzle at this, but didn't say anything. Asgore took a small little order number and they went back to their seats. The band started playing. It was a light rock sound, emphasizing the lead guitar, but there was also a keyboarder, a drummer, and a brass instrument that Frisk didn't recognize.

Opal was waiting for them when they sat back down. "I didn't get a chance to ask you at the world cup," Frisk told her. "What was it like, playing Rugby with non-wizards?"

As expected, this launched Opal into an enthusiastic explanation of the game of rugby, her teammates, and highlights from the games she played it. "Rugby sounds like a pretty violent sport," Asriel said. "And you play it with boys?"

"Don't think that I can't dish it out because I'm a girl," Opal said proudly. "And it's not like we're trying to actually injure each other. It's just a game."

"Still, I don't like to see people getting hurt," Asriel said. At that point, the food arrived, and the conversation paused as people started to eat. "Did you enjoy the world cup?" Asriel asked.

"I did! And wasn't that Krum an excellent flier?" Opal asked. "It's too bad the Bulgarian chasers were so outmatched, or that could have been an excellent match."

"You still intend to try out for the Hufflepuff team?" Frisk asked.

"Of course," Opal said. "Both Malcolm Preece and Tamsin Applebee graduated last year, so there's two slots at chaser, and beater Anthony Rickett graduated as well."

"Not going to try for seeker?" Chara asked between fries.

"Cedric has that sewn up, and he deserves it. He's also the captain of the team," Opal explained.

"Chara?" Frisk said, glad to hear her speaking up. "Would you want to join a house team?"

"What?" Chara asked. "Uh, sure. Probably."

"What position?" Frisk pressed.

"I always thought I would end up being a beater, but I'd go wherever," Chara said, "What about you, Asriel?"

"Wouldn't that be something?" Asriel asked. "The first monster in Hogwarts invited to play on a quidditch team?

Opal choked on a mouthful of cheeseburger. She swallowed quickly. "I'm sorry, did I just miss something?" she started to ask, but was interrupted.

Asgore was up at the podium, talking into a microphone. "Excuse me, everyone. We have an announcement to make. Our son, Prince Asriel, has been invited to be the first monster at Hogwarts Academy." He continued on, making a very similar speech compared to the one Fudge made earlier that day, and concluded with, "And nobody post this to Undernet until Toriel finishes hers!"

"In celebration," the guitarist of the band said, "We'd like to perform a new number for you tonight. We're calling it Hopes and Dreams," and they picked up with an energetic beat.

"You okay there, Frisk? You look confused," Opal said, "I thought you'd be excited to tell us about it."

"I swear I've heard this song before," Frisk said, "But I can't think of where."

"That's funny," Asriel said, "I was thinking the same thing."

"But you're going to Hogwarts! That's amazing!" Opal said, distracting them from the music. "Hey, I wonder what house you'll be in."

"What house?" repeated Asriel, and Opal gave him the rundown of the four houses that Asriel and Chara would soon find them sorted in. "Oh," Asriel said, "I hadn't thought about it. I'd want to be in Gryffindor, with Frisk."

"But it's up to the sorting hat," Frisk said, and explained the process. "It's able to pull thoughts and memories from you to help determine where you should be sorted. And there's good people in all of the houses, you'll do fine wherever you end up. I'm sure of it."

"But you'd rather have him in Gryffindor, right?" Opal teased.

"I'd rather have him wherever he would do the best," Frisk said firmly. "But I wouldn't mind if he found himself in Gryffindor," she said, as Asriel blinked at her. "What about..." but Chara had that haunted look in her eyes again. "You're afraid you'll wind up in Slytherin, aren't you?"

Chara didn't respond. She didn't have to, Frisk could see it in her eyes. If she had to guess, she would bet that her parents were in Slytherin. It made sense, Draco and his father were there, and it sounded like the other Malfoys had been similar.

"You've changed," Frisk reminded her. "You will be fine. And anyway, there's good people in all of the houses. You remember Steven, don't you?" Steven Marsh had been Frisk's potions partner last year, and one of Asriel's rescuers.

"I guess," she said, studying her remaining fries.

"Are you about done?" Asgore asked. "We still have at least one more stop to make before going home tonight. "We need to get potion and herbology supplies for Asriel and Chara, and it's starting to get late." Finishing their food, and saying goodbye to the Oxtobys, the Dreemurrs collected their shopping bags and headed out into the warm summer night, and found their way to the simply made Apothecary.

The apothecary looked almost like a muggle candy shop. There was all sorts of bins with everything from flobberworms to dittany bottles and dragonscales. Along the back wall, there was a supply of cauldrons. There were also prewrapped packages for the incoming Hogwarts students.

They weren't the only customer in there, though. Another Hogwarts student, a largely built boy in Slytherin robes with a fat looking face stared at the Dreemurrs. Frisk recognized him as one of Draco's 'bodyguards', but didn't know his name. He was accompanied by a tall, proud looking man who must have been his father.

"Good evening," the proprietor said. He looked at the collection of Dreemurrs, "The standard Hogwarts package?" Asgore responded affirmatively. "How many?"

"Two, and do you need anything, Frisk?" Asgore responded.

Frisk shook her head, still trying to remember the other student's name.

The proud looking man studied the Dreemurs for a moment. "Surely not," he said, forcing a horrified tone to his voice. "Has Hogwarts standards fallen so low? Is that not a violation of the wand ban?"

Asgore and Toriel pointedly ignored the man. The salesman put two prewrapped bundles on the counter. "You're actually going to serve... that thing?" he asked.

"Their gold spends, Mr. Crabbe," the proprietor said, "and I'd appreciate it if you don't pick a fight in my shop. I've had a long day as it is."

"Then maybe they should remember wand magic is for humans. It's bad enough that they have mudbloods infesting the place, but to open it up to the nonhumans? That is simply too much. Come, Vincent. We shall get your supplies in a place that doesn't open itself up to riff-raff," he turned on his heel and marched out the door. Asgore's dagger-like gaze followed after him. "Maybe I should send you to Durmstrang to finish your education, even if your mother thinks..." though the door shut, and Frisk never did hear what his mother thought.

"I can't say we were not warned," Toriel said. She looked to be about to say something to Asriel, but decided against it. "Let's make this the last stop tonight, Asgore. I can come back and get their last few things, there's still a few days before school."

"That's a good idea," Asgore agreed. "I apologize you had to witness that," he told the shopkeeper, as he reached into his coinbag.

* * *

The ministry had shown up to take them to King's Cross that year. It was probably a sensible precaution, as there was no way between heaven and earth that Toriel and Asgore were going to let Chara and Asriel go off on their own. It had just about killed Toriel leaving Frisk alone the first time. Which was good, because the rain was coming down at a pretty good clip.

The car they were driven in must have had the extendable charm on it as well, as it was much bigger on the inside as it was on the outside. This meant there was room for three adults, including their driver, three children, and three children's Hogwarts equipment. "I wonder if we can get this for Papyus's convertible."

"I wonder if he'd want it," Frisk said. "He takes such pride in that car."

Once at King's Cross, Asgore, Asriel, and Toriel all had to wear long cloaks with disillusionment charms on them through the non-magical potion of King's Cross. It was a bit of extra work to go through, but it was worth it. Just like it had been last year, the Hogwarts express was surrounded by hundreds of students, and even more parents and well wishers.

This time, Frisk was not alone. While word had gotten out about Asriel's admittance, today Toriel and Asgore were seen as just other parents. And they were just like other parents too, crying over their first years leaving home for the first time, and they had only had them back about six weeks.

They saw any number of people as they made ready to board the train, Mr. Lovegood and Luna, the Marshes and Steven. There was Ms. Weasley, trying to corral four of her own children, along with Harry and Hermoine, along with two other apparent Weasleys that Frisk didn't know.

"And if you get in trouble, Asriel, don't worry about it. You are a student, just like any other. It'll happen. We're not expecting you to be perfect. Don't believe anyone who says otherwise."

"With that said," Asgore said, "don't go looking for trouble. From what Frisk has told us, at Hogwarts, trouble tends to come looking for you."

Asriel didn't blush, not that Frisk could really tell with the fur, but he was wrinkling his nose, embarrassed from all the attention his parents were giving him.

"And Chara, you will always be our daughter as well, no matter what house you end up in," Toriel added. Then, with one last hug, the children were set free to board the train. They loaded their trunks and picked out a compartment.

"I'm really on the way to Hogwarts," said Asriel as the train departed the station. "I still can't believe it." Frisk grinned, looking out the window at the rain coming down.

Luna, Ginny, and Steven joined them before too long, they brought news of a mysterious 'Something' that was happening this year at Hogwarts. "Bill and Charlie wouldn't stop teasing me about it," Ginny reported.

The train soldiered on to the rain, off to the Scottish highlands that held the school for both new and returning students.


	6. Sorted

They had settled in, and were being bombarded by Ginny and Steven with questions about what happened after the world cup (and during it, Steven hadn't gone). Frisk had just finished with her story when the first visitors arrived. Ginny's brother Ron had knocked on the door, bringing along both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. "I never mentioned this?" Ron asked. Judging from Hermione's exasperated expression, not for the first time.

"No," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, and stepped in front of him into the compartment. "Congratulations, Asriel," she said, offering her hand to shake. "I didn't think the minister would let this happen so quickly."

"I wasn't expecting it all," Asriel said, reaching up from his seat to shake her hand. "I'm so excited! I can't wait." Harry and Ron expressed their own congratulations and they headed off to their seats. "I wonder if anyone else will stop by."

The lunch lady was by next, and they got themselves sandwiches. Frisk, giving her quiet sister a look, bought them all chocolate frogs to go with their sandwiches and other lunch things. But Chara didn't much more then nibble at it.

They passed the time with exploding snap, and explanations of the classes (for at least a second time, in Frisk's estimation). Neville stopped by eventually, to offer his own congratulations, and to hear how the World Cup itself went. "Gran thought it was too expensive, and it was more fun to listen on the wireless," he explained. "But it sounds really fun to me."

The only thing that spoiled an otherwise pleasant ride was Malfoy giving an extremely nasty look inside their compartment. He might have been about to step in and cause trouble, but was shooed along by a Hufflepuff prefect that was patrolling the train's corridor. She wasn't sure Asriel noticed, but Chara had.

The rain was still coming down in buckets when they pulled into Hogsmeade station. The students looked into the downpour uncomfortably. "I hope that's not a bad sign," Asriel said. "I should have brought an umbrella. But we really don't need them once we're inside, do we?"

"I'd think the wind would blow it out of your hands," Ginny told him. Asriel laughed, shrugging. Frisk had a flashback to the monster kid she met in Waterfall.

"Besides," Luna said, "If you had an umbrella, it wouldn't be raining."

"Weather doesn't work like that, Luna," Steven said, grinning. "It only seems that way." Unnoticed, Frisk started uncomfortably. She hadn't thought about that in a long time.

"First years! First years ta' me please!" yelled Hagrid, the care of magical creatures professor, from one end of the platform.

"Wait, in this weather?" said Frisk. "That's crazy."

"What?" asked Asriel, not yet daring to go out in the rain.

"Uh, you're in for a soggy boat ride," Ginny said, apologetically.

* * *

Asriel would have rather followed Frisk into the carriage she had been last seen heading off toward. Instead, he was feeling his fur mat with the combined drenching of rain and splashing from the lake. Chara looked equally miserable, as did a third rider. The fourth, an absolutely small boy, even smaller than Frisk, kept trying to balance and kneel up in the boat. Each time he did, the boat would rock and sway dangerously.

"What are you doing?" asked the other student, in a bit of a hiss. Maybe a hiss, it sounded like she was feeling sick to her stomach. Asriel couldn't blame her, he was feeling slightly queasy himself. "You're going to fall in."

"I want to see the castle! Mum and Dad couldn't believe there was a second wizard in their family... they're both mug-ahhh!" The prediction was born out, as the small child stumbled slightly on the water soaked wood, and then, with a splash, toppled into the drink.

All three of them cried in alarm. But before they could do anything else, a large tentacle emerged from the water, carefully setting the boy back into the boat. They stared, unsure of what had just happened. " **That was so cool!** " the child exclaimed. "It was the giant squid, it had to be! Colin told me all about it!" The dripping water couldn't mask his huge smiling face, though, truth be told, he didn't look that much wetter than Asriel felt.

The boats continued on, through the rain. The castle loomed up ahead of them, looking imposing, like something out of one of Alphys's animes. When they finally came to shore, the giant of a human helped them out of the boats. "Which one of ye fell in?" he asked. They pointed at the swimmer, and Hagrid promptly wrapped him in a thick brown overcoat, and sent them inside to drip in the main hall.

Waiting for them there was a witch that Asriel recognized (by Frisk's description) as Professor McGonagall. She had, thank the stars, warm towels. It wasn't enough to completely take the chill away, but Asriel at least felt alive again after doing his best to dry his soaking fur. Once they'd at least made the attempt to dry themselves off, the Professor escorted them into the Great Hall proper.

Frisk had described the Great Hall. In Asriel's opinion, Frisk had not done the Great Hall justice. The ceiling mirrored the sky outside, dark, purple, and stormy, with silent bolts of lightning dancing between the clouds. The four long tables were filled, except for the far end, with students. And they were all staring at them. The staff table to the left was filled with the professors, and in the center was Dumbledore. Dumbledore, who's spectacled gaze seemed focused directly on Asriel.

With a clunk, Professor McGonagall set down a small stool in front of the students. Upon the stool sat a large, grey, wide brimmed hat. Which burst into song. When it finished, the Professor unrolled a parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat, and sit on the stool. When the hat announces your house, you will go sit at the appropriate table," she explained.

"Good luck, Chara," Asriel whispered, as the first few were sorted. Elanor Branstone, the girl from their boat was sorted into Hufflepuff. Dennis Creevey, the boy who fell into the water, was sent into Gryffindor. Through it all, there was ongoing quiet conversation between the already seated students.

But when " **Dreemurr, Asriel**!" was called, all conversation abruptly ceased. The silence as every single pair of eyes focused on the monster about to try on the sorting hat was, in its own way, deafening. Asriel looked for Frisk, and spotted her, sitting towards the end of the left hand table. He gave a nervous smile, and sat on the stool. A moment later, he felt the sorting hat touch his head.

For a second or two, there was silence. Then, he could feel the whispers in his mind, the sorting hat going through his memories. "Hmm. Another interesting case, much like the one you think of as your sister, aren't you?" it asked. "You wish to go to Gryffindor, but is that the best place for you? You wish to prove that monsters belong here, among the wizards, but it's not ambition for yourself, so not Slytherin. You enjoy experiencing things, but not knowledge for knowledge's sake. So, no not Ravenclaw."

"But Hufflepuff? Helga would have made a strong argument to have you in her house. You are loyal to your friends, and as kind as she was. And yet," the Sorting Hat's thoughts seemed unsure. "Godric would point to your sacrifices. Giving up your own life so that others might live? Perhaps I should grant your request."

"So what drives you? Hope for others?" The sorting hat was silent, as more memories bubbled up in Asriel's memory. "You admire how your parents acted to rescue the muggles, which is very Gryffindor, but also how they comforted them afterward, very Hufflepuff." Silence, again, for a minute, and Asriel was starting to hear murmurs from the assembled students again. He was aware that he'd taken longer than any sorting so far.

"You don't like to see others get hurt," whispered the hat. "But when you see others getting hurt, are you sword, or shield or a healer? They're all needed, you cannot win if you don't attack. If you had to fight, could you?" It paused a third time.

"A shield against the darkness," Asriel told it, "I want to keep people from being hurt."

"Hmmm," It considered. "In the end, it is where you will best achieve your potential that I send you. You want to be with your sibling. And you are so tired of being a flower. So I think it'd better be..."

"Gryffindor!" the hat cried to the audience, to an odd mixture of cheers and sighs of relief. Asriel looked up at the staff table. He saw a nod and a smile from the Dumbledore, and a wry look from an older woman. Asriel scrunched his face as he tried to remember who that was. Professor Sprout? Probably. Asriel felt a pang of guilt, he hadn't wanted to make anyone feel bad.

As he approached the end of the Gryffindor table, Frisk stood up and caught him in an enormous hug. Not at all embarrassed, he returned the hug, and sat down next to her, as McGonagall called the next name...

* * *

"Dreemurr, Chara!"

Part of her didn't want to move. She knew what the sorting hat was going to say, and she didn't want to hear it. She looked up at McGonagall, and shuffled slowly toward the stool. Sitting down on it, she felt the sorting hat being placed on her head.

It didn't say anything to her at first. Chara closed her eyes, waiting for her fate to be proclaimed.

"You would do well in Slytherin," the hat whispered to her.

"No, please, no," Chara whispered back. "I don't want to be in Slytherin. Just not Slytherin."

"But you think like one, you were willing to sacrifice yourself to..."

"I was trying to get people killed!" Chara whispered to the hat, "I don't want to be that person anymore! It wasn't necessary, and I lost my brother, and my life. I don't deserve to be here. But I am. And I want to change. I want to change."

"Quite possibly the best answer I could have been given. So, where to put you? Ravenclaw, you do value knowledge, but it's what you would do with that knowledge. Perhaps... the same question I asked your brother. In a fight, sword, shield, or healer?" Chara hesitated. She'd seen what Frisk had done. "But you know what the dark is really like, because you've seen it."

"A sword," Chara whispered. "Because someone has to be. I can't make Asriel or Frisk do it."

"Then we'll make it three for three," whispered the hat.

"Gryffindor!" the hat announced again. Her eyes wide, and wearing a broad, relieved smile, Chara tore through the hall, not stopping until she had reached her brother and sister, caught once again in a massive bear hug.

* * *

While Frank Edwards was sorted, and Frisk managed to disentangle herself for a second time, Chara walked around the table to sit across from Asriel, sitting next to the tiny Dennis Creevey. "Colin," he was saying. "Colin! You've got to take a picture of this! The first ever monster in Hogwarts, and he's in our house!"

"He's been like that since Asriel sat down," said Frisk, grinning.

"Congratulations Asriel, Chara," Opal said, sitting behind Frisk at the Hufflepuff table. "That was almost two stalls in two years," she said. "I was timing it!" she said, holding up a wrist watch.

Chara laughed, an easier freer laugh, then Frisk had heard from her since she'd woken back up. Together, the three of them clapped as Natalie McDonald joined the table, sitting down the line from Asriel.

"Is that an actual ghost? Nearly Headless Nick, right?" Asriel asked, pointing about halfway up the table. "We ought to find a way to bring Napstablook here."

After the sorting was done, the feast began. Frisk paused in slight confusion when Asriel started eating with the rest of them, and then decided if it didn't bother him, it wasn't going to bother her, selecting a portion of chicken and baked potato.

"I've never seen such a large mix of food," Chara said in awe.

"And we've not made it to dessert yet!" Frisk told her, grinning. And it arrived, in due course. There still was no butterscotch and cinnamon pie, but there was everything else from treacle to pudding. When they were all stuffed to bursting, and the dishes vanished from sight, Headmaster Dumbledore stood again.

"I have a several announcements before we can all retire to our beds tonight. As much as I do not wish to call out a specific student, I must address the elephant in the room. Mr. Asriel Dreemurr is our first monster student, and I trust that all students will treat him with the same respect given to any other member of our student body."

He paused, nodding in the direction of the Gryffindor table, Asriel shrank a little, but gave a determined wave back.

"My second announcement regards the cancellation of the House Quidditch Tournament..." there were gasps and cries of alarm from all around the great hall. One of the loudest came from directly behind Frisk.

He was about to explain the reason for it, when he was interrupted by the thunk of the door opening. A man stood there, wearing a black traveling cloak and leaning on a thick staff. As he walked into the hall, Frisk stared, it was the eyes. There was a normal looking beady eye and that was looking forward, but the other, the other eye was not normal. It was blue, as large as a galleon, and swivelling this way and that. It paused, looking in Frisk's direction for a second, then continued to roll and spin.

"May I introduce our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher," said Dumbledore brightly.

Frisk shuddered, her first impression, especially after having Professor Lupin the previous year, was of nervousness. She tried to pull herself together, she'd seen stranger things than that underground. Dumbledore had begun to applaud, and Frisk tried to clap with him, but was one of the few who was doing so. The sound was slightly hollow, and it echoed through the great hall. She quickly stopped.

"Ah, yes, the reason of the Quidditch cancellation," and announced the Triwizard Tournament.

"Rubbish," said Opal, "I can't participate in that. I'd rather have the Quidditch matches."

"Oh, it'll be fun to watch," Frisk said. "Besides, it'll give you time for you to practice. After you helped me with flying practice, I'll help make sure you make your team next year!"

"Thanks, Frisk," Opal told her. And with that, they were dismissed.

Frisk and Ginny led Asriel and Chara through some of the lesser known passages through the castle, eschewing the grand staircase. "Did you happen to catch the password, Ginny?" Frisk asked her.

"Overheard it from a Prefect," Ginny said. "Balderdash! And don't you forget it," she added, winking at Asriel and Chara.

The fat lady swung her portrait open. The common room was nearly empty when they got there. "Those are your brothers, right?" Asriel asked Ginny as they arrived. Fred and George were sitting in front of the fire, discussing how to fool the impartial judge of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Are you trying to give mum a heart attack?" Ginny asked them as she passed. Fred and George simultaneously gave her a withering look. "Anyway, I think I'm going to go off to bed. Classes start tomorrow."

Frisk, Asriel, and Chara exchanged looks, and simultaneously nodded. "See you in the morning!" he said, disappearing up the stairs marked for the boys. Frisk and Chara climbed up the other one. When Chara found her dorm, she nodded, hugged Frisk one last time, and disappeared inside. Frisk's own dorm room was a little higher up the tower, but she found it, changed into her purple pajamas, got into bed and promptly went to sleep.

They reconvened the next morning, Asriel and Chara met Frisk back in the common room. "I almost couldn't sleep," Asriel admitted, rubbing his eyes. "Can you lead us back to the great hall?"

"Of course, though you probably need to learn the castle," Frisk said, smiling. "We have different classes, after all!" She led the way back to the great hall for breakfast. A prefect from Gryffindor was sorting through their names, and handed them their schedules. Frisk was drinking orange juice when the owl post arrived. There were letters for all three of them from Mom and Dad, saying how much they missed them already.

But Frisk got a second letter, this one marked from Sans. It contained only a single sentence, written in an all lower case script: " _have you ever heard of dr. gaster_?"

 _A/N: You would not believe how hard I agonized over Asriel's sorting hat decision. I think I had a decision written both ways at least twice. Was I copping out, for an 'easier' story if I kept them together? Was I worried so much about what other people think that I wasn't listening to my gut, which said that Asriel would take bullets for people he hadn't met?_

 _But I had to make a decision. (Chara's was easier. Much easier.) I'm at peace with it, because I have to be. There's stories to tell, and his isn't the only one. See you soon!_


	7. The Locked Door

_The previous day:_

The underground was pretty empty these days. Some of the monsters who liked the quiet, like Gryftrot, had stayed under the earth, but the others were all on the surface now.

"It must have been quite something when everyone was down here," Kurt Kairos said, looking around Snowden town, the machine floating along behind them. It was a ghost town now, but he could still see what used to be shops and homes.

"eh, not that much different than a human town," Sans the skeleton said. Sans was, and there was no other way to put it, something else. He was a punster, temporal physicist, apparently lazy, but capable of noticing everything. Kurt liked him.

Sans had called Kurt down here to investigate what the skeleton called an anomaly in "The Space Time Continuum", a phrase which sounded pretty weird to Kurt. Then again, despite being in the department of mysteries, he hadn't been allowed to research time all that much.

And that didn't feel fair to Kurt. He'd earned seven OWLs, five NEWTs, and that had earned him his position. But actually investigating these kinds of things? Not allowed, due to something that had happened in the past. That was why, on a Sunday, Kurt was trekking through a mostly empty underground, to do something rather illegal. He didn't really have anything better to do, anyway. If Sans hadn't contacted him, he'd probably have spent the day at the Leaky Cauldron. This was much more interesting.

"this seems to be a likely spot," Sans said. They'd stopped on a long wooden trail, snow fell lightly around them. In front of them, a broken gate did nothing to keep someone from passing over a bridge. "let's set up the machine here."

The machine was magnificent. It was a hybrid of skeleton know-how, muggle technology, and human magic. If certain of Kurt's coworkers had seen it, they'd have have had the Aurors after him right off. But they didn't need to know, did they? It had started as a time machine, but they'd used the past two months to improve it even further. It'd taken work to keep it stable with a heavier payload, but the majority of the time was spent allowing it to travel even further than just time. Now it could travel though what Sans called 'Possibilities', to try to find the source of the anomalies.

"Very good," Kurt said, flicking his wand, allowing the machine to settle to the ground. They took the few delicate parts they didn't want to risk on the levitation spell and set about putting them back in the machine. At its heart was a time turner. It had belonged to Dumbledore, and Sans had said he'd told him he was borrowing it. Kurt wasn't so sure, but Dumbledore hadn't come looking for it, either. So Kurt wasn't about to upset the apple cart. "So what are we looking for again?" Kurt asked.

"when he vanished, doctor Gaster was researching these anomalies. he was working on a machine of his own," Sans went quiet for a second, his eyelights burning brighter before dimming again. "then there was nothing. nobody other than me remembered him, not even Papyrus. alphys was chief scientist and thought she'd always had been. i want to know what happened. i promised him that."

"I was there," Kurt reminded him. "You promised to put him back together."

Sans didn't reply to that. He finished the last connection. "i always thought this would require a cup of really hot tea," he said, his eyelights glinting at Kurt.

Kurt looked at him blankly. "Why would that be?"

"you've never read..." Sans started, then stopped himself. "i'll have to find... i'll have alphys order you a copy. it's hilarious, like me." He shrugged, and climbed into the now much roomier machine.

Kurt followed Sans's lead, climbing into the machine's left seat. "Are we absolutely sure we'll be able to get back again?"

"i've programmed this machine with every single thing I can think of to bring it back where it came from," Sans said. "i can't promise we'll go anywhere," he said, though Kurt was pretty sure that was a joke. "but if we do, i absolutely promise we'll come back."

"Alright then. No time like the present," Kurt told him, grinning.

"except for whatever time we land in," Sans said. He pulled out another device, the scanner he used to find the anomaly in the first place. He plugged in the numbers and pressed the big red engage button. Kurt heard the machine rumble and power on. The world past the shielding faded to white, and then black, before reversing and presenting them with a scene that didn't look that much different from the one they left.

They got out, and looked around. There was still snow gently falling, but there were no footprints to show they'd just been standing there. "Did it work? Are we where, and when, you think we need to be?"

Sans consulted his scanner again. "i think so. whatever got the doctor's attention came from that direction," he said, pointing over the bridge with its still broken gate. Before Kurt could reply, Sans set off.

"Let's go take a look, then," Kurt said wryly to himself, and trailed after the swiftly striding skeleton. A bit down the path, a giant branch lay across the trail. It looked like something really big had stepped on it, snapping it in two. "Uh, Sans? Do you know what did that?"

"what?" Sans asked, looking behind him. "uh, i shot that. frisk didn't know i was there, and we hadn't met yet. it wasn't very nice to mess with her like that. it was kind of fun to see her track back and to see her expression."

"Shot it? With what?"

"blasters," Sans responded. This didn't answer Kurt's question, but Sans had set off again. They stopped when they were presented with a large closed stone door. Sans reached out to pull the handle, but to his surprise, it didn't open. "huh. if we are when i thought we would be, that door shouldn't be locked." He tugged at it again.

"Maybe we also traveled in time," Kurt postulated. "Or this possibility doesn't line up with ours, chronologically speaking."

"huh. makes sense. don't really want to wait though. think you could open this door?"

"Easily," Kurt said, pulling his wand from his robe, but he was interrupted before he could cast.

"think you might want to put on your cloak, first. don't know what we'll find back there. maybe things have really changed. don't think we should advertise an out-of-time human."

"Good idea," he took out a rather carefully folded thin cloak and draped it over the robe. It wasn't a true invisibility cloak, but one with a permanent disillusionment charm on it, so it amounted to the same thing. Once cloaked, he pointed his wand, "Alohamora!" The lock clicked, and the door swung open of its own accord. He pointed down the corridor with his wand, "After you."

Sans bowed, and headed down the long passage, Kurt following him. Behind them, the door to Snowden banged shut, and there was another loud click of the door relocking. At the other end of the hall was another locked door, which surprised Sans further. Kurt used the unlocking charm to open this door as well. It creaked open, and the new breeze swirled dust into the corridor, causing Kurt to promptly sneeze. Twice. "Doesn't seem like anyone has been down this way recently," he said.

"huh," Sans said. "we'd better be careful. torii lives above us. but we're really close, and i don't want to shortcut our way past the anomaly." But when he led the way up the stairs into the home, it was clear that he did need to have worried. The house was apparently empty. They looked around, but despite a door that was "Closed for Remodeling", there didn't seem to be anything living there.

When they went out to the garden, there were a couple of Froggits hopping around. They took a look at Sans, and hopped back away from the house. But it was the tree that drew Kurt's attention. "That tree looks dead, but there's something on it."

"torrii was never that good of a, what?" Sans said, looking up.

What _was_ that? It looked like a single white glove. "Accio!" Kurt declared, but when he did it, he immediately regretted it, as it was no glove. It was a skeletal hand, he could seen the individual bones, which should have made it fall apart. But it hung together, lifeless. Kurt managed to not drop it in disgust. "Is this it? The anomaly?" Kurt asked.

Sans looked at the scanner, then at the bones, then at the scanner again. "yeah, that's it. is that a piece of Gaster?" He cupped his own bony hands, allowing Kurt to drop it in to his hands. "how is it still intact? without a soul to hold us together, monsters disintegrate pretty quickly. i'm going to have to run some tests on this." Sans pulled out some cloth, wrapping the hand tightly in it, and tucked it in his pocket.

"Excellent!" Kurt said, smiling at his partner. "Let's go home."

"not yet," Sans said, and he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed it. "don't want to freak her out, because i shouldn't have her number yet... but..." he held it to his ear. But as far as Kurt could tell, didn't get any answer. Sans's smile didn't leave his face, but his eyelights dimmed, and he tried again. There was still no reply.

"don't like this," Sans said. He began manipulating his phone in a way Kurt didn't understand. "let's start heading back to the machine." A single bone finger scrolled the phone repeatedly. "please say there's undernet posts, ah there he is." He released a deep sigh of relief. "Papyrus and alphys. so frisk made it to hotland."

They started the walk back to the machine as Sans kept reading through posts. "timing on this wasn't too long ago. hours. guess you were right that the possibilities didn't line up. hmm. wonder." Sans dialed again, this time getting an answer.

" **Sans! You're calling me! You never call me!"**

"hi, Papyrus," Sans said. "just got a quick question for you. where are you?"

" **I'm at Undyne's house! I'm convinced the human and her would make good friends. I just need to wait until she gets here."**

"who? the human?"

" **No. Undyne. She will get here eventually.** "

"thanks brother. i'll see you later," Sans said. He hung up, and then began to scroll through posts again. "ngh. kurt? need to detour to hotland. let's drop the piece in the machine, then we'll take a shortcut."

"Alright, why?"

"because i think that undyne had a really bad time." Kurt stared at him. "i think she's dead."

They took the boat from Snowden to Hotland, and Sans took them in his shortcut way back towards Waterfall. It was a bit nerve wracking to see the riverperson pierce his cloak, but Sans assured the wizard that secret was safe on the water.

It was impossible to really tell if Sans's feeling had born out, but Kurt didn't see Undyne anywhere. And Sans apparently found evidence that made sense to him. "the water dispenser, it's completely full." Kurt wasn't sure what to make of that. "how?" Sans asked, the first time Kurt had ever seen him at a lost for words. "the frisk i know couldn't have done anything like this. i'd have seen it in her eyes. LOVE changes a person."

Kurt didn't know fully what 'LOVE' was, except it probably wasn't the love Kurt was familiar with. But this didn't see the time or the time to ask for more information. "Let's get home," Kurt said. "Our timeline won't have changed. Maybe it wasn't Frisk?"

"maybe," Sans sounded dubious. "but you're right. let's go home. it'd be dangerous to change anything here."

* * *

The letter haunted Frisk through the first day of classes. She had to shove it aside for a while, though. She was back in school, and if one was hopeful some of those professors would be lenient on their first day back, one's hopes were quickly dashed. The professors began right where they left off the winter term. At least Frisk started with Charms this year, a subject far less likely to put her to sleep than History of Magic, which she'd had been Monday's first class last year.

At lunch, Chara and Asriel sought her out, talking excitedly about the classes they'd had. "Everyone is treating you okay?" Frisk asked Asriel.

He paused in sandwich selection. "They are! Actually, it's kind of," Asriel searched for the word. "pressuring? It's like being the king's son all over again. People think I'm more important than I actually am."

"It was like that my first day too," Frisk said. "Because I came back with mom and dad after the barrier had broken. "What do you have this afternoon?"

"Double potions," Chara reported after checking her schedule. "With the Slytherins." She drank a swallow of pumpkin juice.

"We're doomed to always be with the Slytherins," Ginny told her from her other side. "Just once, I'd like a term with potions with, say, the Ravenclaws."

"Seems to be," agreed Frisk. "I have it tomorrow afternoon. If you really want to try to impress Professor Snape, try to partner with one of them." Frisk didn't think they'd listen, but she'd try anyway. "He's the head of house for Slytherin, and would probably like it if you showed a willingness to try to accept them, too."

To Frisk's surprise, Asriel nodded. "It's not like we don't have every class together, right Chara?"

But Chara looked uncomfortable. "We'll see if any of them take us up," she said after thinking about it for a few seconds.

After lunch, Frisk had history of magic. And probably there was no safe time to have the class. The heaviness of the food along with the droning of the ghost professor did no wonders for her study habits.

After classes were over, and dinner was eaten, they went back up to the Gryffindor common room, taking a seat towards one edge of the room. "So," Frisk asked. "How was Professor Snape?"

"He knows," Chara said quietly, and her face was pale. "I could tell in the way he looked at me. Did the headmaster tell everyone? I should have known, Mr. Snape was one of uncle's best friends."

"He knows what?" Frisk asked before it hit her. "Wait, he knows that?" Frisk asked. When Chara didn't reply, she went on. "I wouldn't think Dumbledore would have told anyone. But, I guess I'm not sure."

Chara would not meet Frisk's eyes. "Could you ask for me? I don't want anyone to guess what I'm asking, not if they already know."

"Write him a note," Frisk promised, "And I'll take it up to him."

"Thanks, Frisk I will."

"So," said Ginny Weasley said, sitting down at their table. "How was your first day of class?" And that got Asriel started all over again. Frisk grinned slightly, pulled out a piece of parchment, and started to think.

There were two things that each happened in only one loop each. She had almost forgotten about them, since nobody else had ever asked her anything like it. The first was the child, completely grey, who had stared at her with empty eyes on a Waterfall dock. _A world where everything is exactly the same... except you don't exist_. She had stayed with that child, and even brought him an umbrella as a gift. She wasn't sure why, but something Sans asked her in a previous loop had stuck with her: "Is it raining somewhere else?". (It had been a reference to the chaotic weather above ground, she wasn't sure why she'd remembered it.)

Then there was the other, in a corridor near where Sans had pranked her with a telescope with pink ink on it had seemed unnaturally long. It was one of her last loops, and she had thought she'd memorized the underground. When she had seen the door, which had never been there before, she'd felt compelled to open it and see what was going on.

There had been a person inside. Probably a monster. His head looked like a cracked skull, with pieces missing. He didn't react when she called to him, and he hadn't noticed her until she'd tried to reach out and touch him. And her hand has passed right through him. But he had noticed. He looked right at her, and simply vanished. When she asked Sans about it, at Mettaton's resort, Sans didn't say anything. His eyelights had gone out, so she hadn't pressed the issue.

But was that Gaster? Frisk didn't know. But if Sans was asking now, it was time to tell him, and maybe he could make sense of it all. She committed all of this to paper, still listening to Chara (who was forcing sounding cheerful) and Asriel talk about their first day of classes.


	8. Forgivable and Unforgivable

The next morning, Frisk found her siblings already in the Great Hall when she made her way down for breakfast. Chara reached over her cereal to hand Frisk a piece of folded parchment. Frisk nodded at her, then headed to the staff table to give Chara's question to Dumbledore. He read it briefly, folded it back up, and smiled back. "I will see she receives an answer."

"Thank you, headmaster," Frisk said, heading back to the Gryffindor table to get food for herself.

Asriel was talking excitedly with one of his first year classmates. "We've our first flying lesson today. I can't wait!" It was good to see he was making friends in his own year.

But Frisk no longer had that class. Instead, she had an extra session of Defense against the Dark Arts today. "You'll have to tell me how that goes," she told her brother. "You can't really be a worse flier than I am," Asriel grinned at her. "And I'm expecting to hear how well Chara does. You want to be on the team next year, right?" Chara looked up at the table at the older students, turned scarlet, and didn't say anything. "Oh, you'll be fine. You can't be a worse flier than I am either," Frisk said.

They separated, the first years were going to their first taste of charms, while Frisk was going to be joining the Hufflepuffs for herbology. She caught up with Opal on their way into Greenhouse #2, and they chatted about their first day before being assigned to pacify baby mandrakes. The heavy ear protection they were forced to wear kept conversation to a minimum.

But it was that afternoon's class that Frisk had been quietly dreading. It was to be her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with the new teacher. The other Gryffindor second years had mostly arrived early. The rumors going up and down the line were that Professor Moody had been involved in the first Wizarding War against Voldemort, and that he knew what it was like to be on the front line of battle.

Taking an empty seat in the middle of the class, Frisk found herself next to Romilda Vane, something she normally would have avoided. But Romilda wasn't gossiping in in class today. She was too busy listening to the drag-thump coming down the hallway, as Professor Moody came in the class, shutting the door behind him.

The second time had not made his appearance any more normal. Frisk smiled up at him, determined not to be put off by the magical eye, rolling around in his head. If she'd judged by appearances, she'd never have made it out of the underground. He thumped his way (as Frisk realized he had a wooden leg) to the lectern in front of the class and eyed them for a second. "Put your books away," he growled, his voice low and somewhat guttural. "You won't be needing them." Then he called roll, as the normal eye met each student in turn.

"According to Mr. Lupin, you all have had a thorough grounding in mischievous and dark creatures," his magical eye scanned the class. "But not so much on what wizards can do to each other. I can't start where I'd like to start. The ministry says you're too young, and I haven't got Dumbledore to sign off on it yet. Next week, I hope. Instead, do any of you know a spell that you can use protect yourself?"

He surveyed the class, but nobody raised their hand. "Hmph. Didn't think so. You're probably a bit young for the shield charm. So, I'll start with that dueler's favorite, the disarming jynx." He smiled, and it twisted up his face even more, "It doesn't get anyone hurt, so the ministry doesn't mind." He looked around. "So, now I need a volunteer." And again, nobody raised their hand until finally, Frisk did so.

"Good," he said, his normal eye going to the list on the lectern, while the magical eye focused on Frisk. "Dreemurr... Frisk, right?" he asked.

"That's me, professor," Frisk confirmed.

"Then draw your wand, Ms. Dreemurr, and stand just there," he said. And, before Frisk could so much as dodge, Professor Moody drew his wand, pointed it at Frisk and called out, "Expelliarmus!" all in one smooth motion. Frisk's wand flew up in the air, where the professor reached up and caught it.

"Imagine a dark wizard who now **has you at his mercy!** " Moody shouted, causing Frisk to step back in alarm. "And that's why you need **Constant Vigilance!** But, it's also a good spell you can use on opposing wizards to render them harmless without hurting them. Divide into pairs and prepare to practice," He instructed, waiting for them to do so.

It took Frisk a few goes before she got good at the motion, and then there was the trick of aiming the disarming ray. Maybe there was something to Undyne's advice about bows. Romilda was taking time to learn it too, but she was far more focused in class than Frisk had seen her before. And she scored the first true hit, sending Frisk's wand flying into the air a second time, then clattering on the floor.

Frisk caught on, eventually, and by the end of the lesson, she was making Romilda's wand fly as well, and they continued until the bell rang.

Frisk arrived first to the Great Hall for dinner. She was in midst of some baked potato when Asriel and Chara sat next to her. "So how was flying?" Frisk asked as they sat down, "Was it everything you had hoped for?"

"It was amazing, Frisk," Chara said, and her eyes were shining. "It was like being able to leave everything that ever happened behind on the ground.

"It was Frisk," Asriel agreed. "And I can't wait to do it again. Madam Hooch says we have some natural talent!"

"Chara Dreemurr?" asked a Ravenclaw with a prefect badge. Frisk recognized him, it was the same one who had escorted down to the hospital wing after Cormac had broken her shin. Chara looked up, and took the note that he offered her. She unfolded it, and Frisk watched the enthusiasm drain from her face.

"Dumbledore wants to see me," Chara said. "After dinner tonight."

"Would you like us to go with you?" Asriel asked. "If..."

"No," Chara said, shaking her head. "I'll be okay. I know, Frisk, I can trust him."

* * *

That evening, Chara Dreemurr walked through the second floor corridor, alone. She spotted the gargoyle that concealed the Dumbledore's office, and stopped. What was she about to learn? She stood there long enough that the gargoyle took note. "Are you here to see headmaster? Or join the statues?"

"Oh," said Chara, "Milky way?"

"Indeed," the gargoyle said, leaping aside to reveal the stairs. Chara nodded, and began to climb them.

The first thing Chara noticed in the professor's study was the phoenix. She had loved animals, before the fall, and she had had more than one book on the fantastic beasts of the world. And phoenixes were so rarely found as companions. So far as she knew, there was only one other companion phoenix in the world, a mascot for a New Zealand quidditch team. She had met him once before, kind of. But to see it with her own eyes was amazing.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, examining a stack of letters with a very slight amount of distaste. He looked up, and his face adopted a pleasant smile. "Good evening, Ms. Dreemurr," he told Chara. "I received your note, so how can I help you this evening?"

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

Professor Dumbledore cocked his head in curiosity. "You are Chara Dreemurr, an adopted daughter of Asgore and Toriel Dreemurr." He studied Chara for a moment. "That is who you are. Are you concerned about who you were?"

Chara sat down on the guest chair across the desk, "Yes. Do you know the name I had before I fell down Mt. Ebott? Did my parents tell you my birth name?"

Dumbledore folded his fingers on his desk, looking intently at Chara. "They had not," he told her. "But Professor Snape recognized you. I feel somewhat bad for him. He ended last term thinking he was seeing a ghost, and he seems to have started this term the same way. At least this time, he saw who he thought he saw."

"He hid it well," Chara said. He had, if she hadn't looked him right in the eyes, and seen them go wide, she wouldn't have realized she had been recognized.

"So I sent an owl to your parents last evening, to confirm that Snape was correct in who he thought you were. I got a response back today. I do not believe they wanted to tell me, but they did." The kindly smile reappeared on his face. "As of right now, the only people who know are me and Professor Snape. I would like, with your permission, to advise your head of house, Professor McGonagall. I assure you that none of them will mention your heritage to anyone else."

"What about the auror, Professor Moody?" Chara asked. "Was he involved in capturing my parents?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "No, he was not. I am reasonably certain he will have no idea who you are. And I understand why you would want to keep it that way," The intent look came back into his eyes. "But it is not healthy to run away from the past like this. It is part of you, and will always be." Chara flinched, breaking her gaze. Dumbledore didn't speak again until she'd wiped her eyes dry. "Your parents wanted to emphasize how much you had changed, and that is good. But it may help other people to know who you were."

"I'm not that person anymore, professor," Chara said. "And I never will be again."

"In any event," Dumbledore said, letting the matter drop. "You do not need to worry about your connection to known Death Eaters becoming common knowledge. Your secret is safe with us, and your family," he held out a hand, palm up. "Does that make you feel better?"

Chara took a deep breath. Part of her had been afraid she was about to be kicked out. "It does, Headmaster," she said, taking the hand, and allowing it to shake hers. "It does. And I guess you can tell Professor McGonagall, if you have to,"

"Excellent! Now, I saw how you admired Fawkes. Let me introduce you to him."

* * *

The weekend had come at last, and though the group had noticeably swelled, they still met at the main entrance of the castle just after lunch. Opal, Ginny, and Luna were all there. Steven Marsh had joined them, as had Asriel and Chara. (She'd partnered up with Steven in potions again, much to the irritation of many of her Gryffindor year mates.) "Some flying practice?" Frisk asked, grinning. It was going to be her first real chance to try out the broom she'd gotten last Christmas.

"Actually," Opal said. "I thought we could go for a run first." Frisk stared at her. To Frisk's horror, she seemed completely serious.

"What?" Ginny asked, "A run? Like a muggle would?"

"It was how we would always start rugby practice," Opal said. "My dad thinks it's a good way to keep in shape, since we don't have physical education. C'mon! Two laps around the castle! You want to be quidditch players, right?"

"Not particularly," Frisk mumbled, but Opal had taken off, and Ginny, Asriel, and Chara had already gone after her. It was really more of a jog than a run. At least it felt far less urgent than the last time Frisk ran. It wasn't like they had an upset fish monster wielding an endless supplies of force spears chasing them. Frisk, and most of the others, were winded by the end of it. Only Opal seemed unscathed. Frisk had a mental image of skeleton in a 'Jogboy' t-shirt.

"See?" Opal told them. "You should do this every day and build up some endurance." Frisk, and she didn't think she was alone, gave Opal a very skeptical eye. "Alright, alright, how about we grab a quaffle and throw it around for a while?"

That was much more fun. Frisk still wasn't the most agile of fliers, and frankly, neither was Luna. But Asriel and Chara had taken to the skies with gusto, like they'd been doing this all their lives, and were having a blast. And that made it worth it. This time, there wasn't any Quidditch teams to kick them off, either. So they spent most of the afternoon soaking up what was left of the summer sun, knowing it would turn cold all too quickly.

After dinner, it was time to try to catch up on homework and write letters home. Tomorrow, Frisk planned to resume her assistance with Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing.

* * *

Frisk was much more relaxed when Defense rolled back around the next week. She sat in the same desk as before. And again, Professor Moody heralded his presence with the dragging thump of his wooden leg.

"Put your books away for now, you won't need them," Moody growled. "I've gotten permission from the headmaster to show you what I wanted to last week. The fourth and fifth years handled it, so now it's your turn. Last week, I mentioned how you didn't want a dark wizard to get unguarded spells on you, and now I'm going to show you why."

Frisk felt a chill go down her spine.

"Do people know about the curses so dark, the ministry has labeled them unforgivable? There are three of them," Moody asked. He scanned the classroom for a raised hand and spotted one. "Keith... Masterson."

"The torture curse," he said. "Cruciatus?"

Moody nodded. "You have parents who work at St. Mungo's don't you? Yeah, you'd have heard of that one." The professor stepped behind his desk, opened a drawer. From the drawer, he pulled out a jar containing three large, brown spiders.

Frisk's eyes went wide as she watched Moody pull one of the spiders out, setting it on his desk. "You need to see this, so it'll need to be a bit bigger," he pointed his wand, "Engorgio!" The spider grew, and to Frisk's distress, it now looked like one of the spiders that she'd encountered in the underground, one of Muffet's family. Then the professor pointed his wand a second time. "Cruico!"

At once, the spider's legs buckled, and the spider rolled onto its side. It waved its legs madly in the air, and Frisk could feel its soul crying in pain, crying for mercy. "Please!" she cried out. "Please stop!"

Glancing at her, Moody did so. "Worse than thumbscrews and more portable than a rack. Was popular when You Know Who was trying to rise in power. People broke when his followers put that on him. Pain and Fear can make you do a lot of things that you'd never have done otherwise." He considered the still twitching spider. "Reducio," he said, putting the spider back in the jar. "Does anyone know either of the other two?"

Laura Johnson very slowly put her hand up. "My cousin mentioned one. A mind control spell. I don't remember the name."

"The Imperius curse," confirmed Moody. He took a second spider from the jar, leveled his wand, and growled, "Imperio!" The spider froze momentarily, then began swaying to music only it could hear. It leaped from Moody's hand onto the desk, landing in a perfect somersault. Then it rose onto its hind legs into what absolutely had to be a tap dance.

Nearly everyone in the room was laughing, the only two people who weren't were Frisk and Moody himself. "Complete control," he said softly, and the laughter ceased abruptly. "A dark wizard puts this on you, and you'll attack people for him. Or her. Friends, loved ones. Or you might be asked to jump out that fourth story window without a broom. And you'd do it, too. **Constant vigilance."**

He put the spider away. "Cruciatus can be resisted. And you can fight the imperius curse too. Maybe I'll give you a crack at that, later this year. But there's still a third unforgivable curse. And you might dodge it, you might get behind something solid enough to take it. But there's no countercurse, there's no resisting it. Anyone know what it is?"

Nobody answered, nobody knew. Frisk actively didn't want to know.

"The killing curse," was Moody's answer. The third spider dodged around in the jar, trying to avoid Moody's grabbing hand. When he placed it on the desk, the spider tried to run for it, sprinting towards the edge of the desk, and safety.

But it didn't make it. Moody pointed his wand.

" **No! Don't!"** shouted Frisk.

"Avada Kedavaa!" roared Moody, and there was a flash of green light, and a roaring sound. And the spider simply stopped moving. Completely, unmistakably, dead.

The only sound in the room was Frisk crying.

"Frisk?" Wendy Wilcox had turned around to look at her. "Are you going to be alright?"

Frisk looked up at Professor "Mad-Eye" Moody. " **You're a murderer,** " she said, through a face full of tears.

 _A/N: A couple people have asked me questions in their reviews. I'd like to answer them, but I can only do so if FF.N private messages are turned on._


	9. Detention

Frisk knew she'd gone too far, but she didn't care. The other students were all staring at her. But that was nothing compared to Professor Moody's reaction. He was shaking in rage, and both of his eyes were locked onto Frisk. "You have no idea what I've been through, what I've faced, Ms. Dreemurr," he said, and his face was more screwed up than before. "You will have a detention to think about what you said to me."

Frisk looked up at Moody, her face rebellious, and wiped her eyes. She said nothing as they locked gazes. Then he turned away, addressing the rest of the class. "And you need to know. So get parchment and your quill, and copy this down."

Frisk tried to focus on what the professor was saying. But her attention kept getting pulled back to the spider, still lying on the professor's desk, not so much as twitching. Her classmates were seemingly oblivious, all enraptured by the professors words.

When the bell rang, ending the lesson, Frisk remained seated, looking up at the professor. Moody stood near the teacher's desk, his scarred face focusing on him with his normal eye, while the magical eye watched as the other students left. "You may go, Frisk," he said finally. "I shall arrange your detention with your head of house," he laughed, a dog-like barking noise. "She does not necessarily agree with my 'Teaching' methods."

Frisk shivered. She'd heard what happened to Draco Malfoy. Even if he had attacked Harry Potter in the open corridor, Professor Moody's punishments still seemed a bit excessive. "Go on, clear off," she was told, and Frisk fled.

Wendy was waiting for her when she left, falling into step next to her. "You alright, Frisk?" she asked. "He really gave you detention after how hard you took that?"

Frisk shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to relive that moment. Frisk felt Wendy's hand on her arm, and took a steadying breath. "I guess," Frisk said. "He said he was going to talk it over Professor McGonagall."

"I think you'll be okay. I can't imagine the professor being too hard on you," Wendy said.

"I hope not," Frisk said, trying to smile back at Wendy. "Thanks for being there." And they headed towards the tower, to put their things away before dinner.

It did not, naturally, take long for the rumor that Frisk had called a professor a killer to circle the school, she could hear it being discussed at dinner. The older students of her house gave her quizzical looks, but didn't bother her. Even the Slytherins seemed to be somewhat sympathetic, or perhaps they didn't know what to think about Moody either.

Her siblings, on the other hand, wanted to hear all about it. Frisk had to relive it. "He's going to put you under the imperius curse?" Chara asked. "I guess it's better to see what it's like now, then what happened to me. He said you could resist it? I wonder if that's something you can learn. Do you think we're going to get that lesson?" she asked Asriel.

"I don't know," Asriel said. "I hope not, I don't want to see anything like that."

The other person that really took note was Neville. "Are you alright, Frisk?" he asked, sitting down across from her in the common room that night. Frisk looked up from her charms essay. Chara and Asriel looked up as well. "He showed us the unforgivable curses in our first lesson."

There was a strange note in his voice that caused Frisk to pay attention. "I think so, Neville," Frisk said. "I'm going to remember it for a long time, but I'm going to be okay."

"That's good," he said. He looked at Asriel and Frisk, look like he was deciding what to say next. Finally he blurted out, "Have you seen something like that before?"

They all blinked up at him. Frisk shook her head. "No, I haven't. Never."

"But you, you reacted so strongly, I thought you must," Neville said, stumbling over the words. He gave a quick fake grin, "well, never mind then." He got up and hurried away. Frisk saw him drop into an armchair, into the comfort of a book.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Frisk made the connection with the day Neville received the howler. "He has, hasn't he?" she asked quietly.

"He has what?" asked Asriel, who was scribbling words down for Professor Snape.

"Neville," Frisk said. "He's seen someone attacked by one of the unforgivable curses," her voice dropped even lower, into a whisper. "His parents."

"Probably," Chara said, matching Frisk's low voice. "I remember when we invited him and his grandmother over for dinner. Mom and Dad wouldn't ask about them, though something must have happened. The one time we got close, Neville looked frightened."

"Which do you think it was?" Asriel asked.

"I don't know," Frisk said, "and I'm not sure I want to. He doesn't talk about it."

They talked about it a bit longer before digressing back to their separate homework assignments.

* * *

After Transfiguration the next day, Professor McGonagall held Frisk back after class. Unlike the few times this happened last year, this time Frisk knew exactly what was going on. Paradoxically, knowing she was in trouble, and knowing what for, made it less nerve wracking. When the last other student had left, McGonagall caused the door to click shut with a wave of her wand.

She sat back down at her desk, turned to Frisk, and gave a rather audible sigh. Frisk forced a wide smile that didn't fool her professor in the slightest. "Frisk," she began. "Did you really call Professor Moody a murderer? Don't answer that. The better question is why?"

"There's a monster, Muffet. Maybe you've heard of her? Sans said she was going to open a bakery on Diagon Alley," Frisk started. But McGonagall shook her head negatively. "She's like a mother to the spiders from the underground," Frisk said. "She got so mad when she thought I squished spiders for fun," Frisk said, remembering the conflict in the spider corridor. "But she's actually a pretty nice person. I was thinking of her, and how that spider wanted just to survive, like it knew what was coming. And he just destroyed it."

McGonagall looked at her evenly, and didn't say anything for a few seconds. "I think you're attributing human feelings to things that aren't human."

"They're not just human feelings," Frisk muttered. "And you weren't there."

"Fair points," she admitted. "But not everything thinks like humans, or monsters. And the lesson had been personally approved by Headmaster Dumbledore. So, I want you to realize that you went too far in accusing professor Moody."

Frisk didn't want to believe it. How could the headmaster have approved something like that?

The professor must have been able to read her face. "In his opinion, it is something you need to know. Being able to be in control and show lessons like this was why Professor Moody was hired for this term in the first place. Though I think you may have been a bit too young," she told Frisk. "With all that said, it was the heat of the moment, and I understand what you were thinking, Frisk. Professor Moody also went too far. That deserved sympathy, not a detention. But it's gotten around school, and now we're stuck."

"Stuck, professor?"

"I'd prefer to cancel your detention, but Moody's still a new teacher, and I don't wish to undermine his authority within the school. At first, I was inclined to simply give you a study hall in my office. But Professor Hagrid has asked if you might be available to ask him with a project," McGonagall looked at Frisk speculatively and gave just a hint of a smile. "I told him you would be. This Friday, you will meet him in the entrance hall at seven PM. You will be going into the Forbidden Forest with him. You will most likely want a cloak. Do you understand?"

Frisk hadn't heard much about the Forbidden Forest, other than it was one of the proscribed areas Dumbledore had mentioned at the beginning of each year. "I do, professor," she said.

"And," McGonagall added. "I want to hear you apologized to Professor Moody, at least privately. I expect I will hear, from you, that he has apologized as well. Am I clear?"

Frisk felt mutinous, but judging by McGonagall's determined face, she wasn't going to accept 'No' as an answer. "Yes, professor," she said, breaking eye contact to look at the floor.

"Very well, Frisk, you may go."

Frisk picked up her bag, and headed out the door. At dinner that night, Frisk gave the update to her friends and siblings. Chara and Asriel looked at each other for a moment. Asriel opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Ginny.

"Really?" Ginny asked. "The Forbidden Forest? I think... hey, Neville!" she called down to the older boy, who was just coming into the hall. He sat down next to them. "Didn't you have to go in the forest once?"

Neville shivered as he reached out to grab a plate. "Yeah, my first year. With Harry, Hermione, and Draco. We were assaulted by some centaurs. But it's probably safe enough if you're with Hagrid. I know Harry trusts him loads."

"What else is in the forest?" Chara asked. "Hippogriffs?"

"Maybe?" Ginny said. "Professor Hagrid has taught us about some of the things we'd find, bowtruckles, knarls, and the like."

"Then there's blast ended skrewts," Neville said, sighing. "I'm not sure what Hagrid is planning with them."

"Is that what those things are?" Ginny asked. "He said something about them being a project for his fourth years. They look ghastly."

The conversation about magical creatures continued through the end of dinner.

* * *

She had a second class of Defense on Friday. So she had the entire class to try to work up the determination to apologize to Professor Moody. At least the class itself didn't press the issue further. After the excitement of the previous class, he had them practicing the disarming charm again. Frisk was getting better at it, and after what she had seen in the previous class, felt motivated to improve more quickly.

Frisk stayed in her seat when the bell rang. Moody looked at her, and his face twisted into a smile. She was about to start to apologize, when he held up a gnarled hand. "I know what McGonagall told you," he gave a short, barking laugh. "You don't need to apologize. You don't know what it's like to be on the front lines." Both his normal and magical eye focused on Frisk. "You know how you felt when you saw the Avada Kadavra curse? Now imagine you saw the dark mark over a friend's house, and you knew that curse had been used on someone inside."

Frisk stared up at him, uncomprehendingly. Who would do such a thing?

"Or, worse, someone aiming that curse at a friend. _You need to know,_ " Moody told her. "And you get a better appreciation of that if you see it happen."

"Has that happened to you, seeing someone else killed?" Frisk asked. She felt herself beginning to concentrate. What could seeing things like do to one's soul?

"None of that," Moody said forcibly, breaking her focus. "Dumbledore told me about monster soul magic, and I will not allow magic that I do not understand to be used on me." He reached down to take his hip flask, lifted it to his lips, and took a swallow. "But yes. I have seen them used. All three of them." He put his flask back on his belt. "Do we understand each other now?" he asked.

Frisk thought so, at least as much as she understood that she would probably never understand what he went through. "I think so. And, you said I didn't need to. But I apologize."

"Hmph," snorted Moody. "I think you're not in for much of a detention anyway. I heard what Hagrid is having you do, and you should be fine. Off you go," and with that non-apology, Frisk left.

That evening, after dinner, Frisk went up to the dormitory to retrieve her cloak and put away her books. When she arrived back in the entrance hall, she was surprised to find that it wasn't Hagrid waiting for her, but Asriel and Chara. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "This is my detention, not yours."

"We weren't going to let you do this alone," Chara told her, her hands in her cloak pockets. "You didn't deserve it, McGonagall said as much."

The large doors opened behind her, and Professor Hagrid looked at the three children. "Frisk Dreemurr... there you are, and who are these?"

"Howdy! I'm Asriel Dreemurr, and that's our sister Chara. We're going with her," Asriel told him.

To Frisk's astonishment, Hagrid didn't object. He looked at Chara first. "Yeh like animals?" he asked. Chara nodded. "Awright, it might be helpful to have a second pair of hands. And I guess I can't take one without taking both of you. So come on then."

Frisk followed Hagrid out of the castle, and down towards his cabin. "Need to get some things first." Some things included Fang, his large boar hound. A lantern, some bags full of... something, and a large crossbow.

"You're not going to need that, are you?" Frisk asked, as he cranked it down to drop a bolt inside. To the side, Fang was busily introducing himself to Asriel, including trying to jump up and clean his face. Asriel, giggling, held Fang back.

"Yeh never know. There's a lot of things that live in the forest," Hagrid explained, putting on the catch, "Not all of them are friendly. And where we're going, it's better to be safe than sorry. "And we're off."

Once past the treeline proper, the Forbidden Forest was an untamed, dark place. The nearly set sun barely penetrated the trees, casting long shadows. The shadows, in turn, were disturbed by Hagrid's lantern, causing weird patterns of light and darkness. The leaves had started to fall, and the crunch of their shoes through them echoed somewhat disturbingly. "Where are we going, Hagrid?" Frisk asked.

"Don't want to spoil the surprise. It may not be the most exciting thing in the forest, but I know how..."

A nightmarish scream echoed through the forest from somewhere in front of them, and Frisk felt her blood run cold. There was something about the inhuman fury that scream held that nearly paralyzed her. Chara looked up, her eyes wide, "That's, that has to be!" and ran. Not away from the sound, but towards it.

"I haven't heard that in three years," Hagrid said, "Wait, Chara!" Hagrid called, and hurried after her. Frisk and Asriel recollected themselves, and simply tried to keep up. They knew, beyond any doubt, when they had arrived.

It was in a small clearing, the first stars poking through the cloud cover. Chara was kneeling down next to what, at first, looked like a pure white horse, lying on the ground. Then Frisk realized it had golden hooves, and her eyes traveled up the body. Asriel grabbed her by the arm. "That's a unicorn!"

"I don't think it's injured," Chara reported. "I thought, when I heard it scream, something had attacked it." She looked up at the sound of hooves. "That must be the stallion." And Frisk could see it, another large unicorn pacing through the trees toward them. He was staring at Chara, but relaxed, at least a little, when he saw Hagrid.

"She's been sick. They're a bit too full of nerves when I try to give them medicine, so I thought you girls could help me. Wait, stallion?" Hagrid asked, suddenly alarmed. "Where's the foal?"

"Foal?" Frisk repeated. The meaning of the scream was suddenly apparent.

"Spread out, search for it!" Hagrid commanded, looking around in the direction of the stallion. "Yell if you find something,"

"I'll stay here with her," Asriel told them. "Just in case something comes back!"

"Lumos!" said Chara and Frisk together, lighting their wands. They spread out, in wider arcs, searching for any sign of the missing foal. Chara found something first, calling out in alarm. Frisk hurried over to her, as she began to stumble through the overgrowth. Her wand was illuminating red drops of blood on the ground, and she was following them.

They did not, directly, find the unicorn. Instead, they found a creature that resembled a large black cat with two tentacles that whipped around its head. It was menacing the foal, trapped between a large rock and tree, forming a corner in the undergrowth. One of the tentacles had been pierced by a sharp object, and blood was dripping from it, only to vanish before hitting the ground.

"Hey!" yelled Chara. The feline turned its head briefly to stare at them, and then looked back at the foal. "Stop!" But the creature ignored her, taking a swipe towards the foal, who pressed itself into the crevice, bleating piteously. Chara stooped, taking a stone from the ground, and slung it at the beast, trying to distract it. But it passed right through the creature. "What?" Chara asked.

Frisk stepped closer to get a better look at the beast. There was something about it that was bothering her. It looked almost too small for its paws, and its structure gave Frisk the distinct feeling that it had been bigger once. "You're starving!" Frisk realized. Did she have any kind of food on her at all? "Chara, we need to get its attention!"

"I tried once, wait," Chara said. "Where's that blood coming from?" she asked, pointing to a few paces in front of them. At the end of the blood trail, blood was dripping onto to the ground, apparently from nowhere. She picked up a second rock, and slung it again, this time at the dripping blood. The rock collided with the thin air. This got the creatures attention, it turned to them with a snarl.

Frisk stepped in front, kneeling down, and holding out her hands. "I don't know what you are. But I know you're hungry. If you can wait, just a few hours, we'll get something from the castle for you. I promise! You don't have to take a child!"

It looked between Frisk and Chara, and then, hearing something crashing through the trees, fled.

"Did yeh find it?" Hagrid asked, turning his crossbow to scan the area. "Oh, thank goodness. What happened?"

Chara told the story as Frisk coaxed the golden furred foal from its hiding spot. "A Coerus? I haven't seen one of those in a long time. We better get that thing back to its mother. Let's go." It was too big for either Asriel or Frisk to lift, either with strength or with magic, so it took them several minutes to get it back to the clearing where the mother was waiting.

Asriel was sitting there, whispering quietly and reassuringly to the unicorn. The foal nickered softly, then approached the female and lay down next to it. "You found it," he said. "Oh, good. I was nervous when I heard Chara yell."

"All's well, I guess. How did yeh know that was a unicorn?" Hagrid asked.

"More chilling than a dragon's roar is a unicorn's scream," Chara quoted, "when a protector of life must deal death, her rage is terrible to see."

"I'm impressed," Hagrid said.

"I'm not," said a voice from behind them. Frisk turned around. Surrounding them were what Frisk thought first were mounted riders, but then realized were centaurs. The lead one, with wild black hair, and the lower body of a black bodied horse had a bow, pointing an arrow directly at Chara. "We warned you about coming into our forest." But his quiet anger turned to shock.

"Howdy," Asriel said, stepping in front of Chara. "Please don't point that at my sister. _"_


	10. Deserving

With a cry of alarm, Hagrid raised his crossbow, pointing it at the lead centaur. "What do you think you're doing, Magorian?"

But Magorian ignored him. His hands were steady on his longbow, and his aim hadn't budged from Asriel. "You are not human, and yet you carry a wand. I would say that you stole it, except you come here with Hagrid. And you call that human," his eyes flashed momentarily to Chara, "your sister. What are you?"

"He's..." Hagrid began.

" **Silence** , Hagrid," Magorian commanded, one hoof stomping the ground. Other centaurs had approached with drawn weapons, and Hagrid fell silent. "I wish to know what he is from his own lips."

"Uh, howdy?" Asriel repeated, trying to force a smile. "I'm Asriel, Asriel Dreemurr. I'm one of the monsters of the underground. I was allowed to carry a wand after my mother and father saved people at the Quidditch world cup. And, uh, could you just please put that down. Hagrid just wanted my sisters help giving medicine to the unicorn."

"A monster," Bane said. "The barrier was broken?"

Frisk blinked up at him, were they really that far behind the times? "About a year ago," Frisk said, causing Bane to turn his head, though the bow still didn't waver from its target. "When I fell into the underground. And, since we didn't have family of our own, we stayed with the Dreemurrs, Asriel's family."

"Humans have, repeatedly, proven that they cannot be trusted," Magorian said. "And that they would trust monsters with wands," his face began to darken, causing Frisk's heart rate to quicken. "before they even would think to trust the Merfolk... Goblins, or Centaurs," he snarled. "Perhaps it is time to demonstrate to Dumbledore..."

"Yeh don't want to do that, Magorian," Hagrid interrupted, finally risking the centaurs ire to stand in front of his charges. "You know how Dumbledore would react. These are innocent children. You want to pick on someone yer own size, I'm standing right here."

Another centaur, this one having red hair and a matching red beard cantered up to Magorian. A second centaur, with silvery blond hair, apparently clean shaven, and quietly spoke between the three of them. Bane's scowl faded, but the dark glare remained.

"Your opinion on humans is well known Firenze," Magorian said. "But if what you say is true, Bane," he looked from Asriel, to Frisk, to Chara. "You claim these humans as family? So be it, let us see if the honor of monsters is worth examining," he proclaimed, finally lowering his weapon. He nodded to the other centaurs, and one by one, they lowered their weapons and left the clearing. Magorian was the last to leave. "If you disappoint me, do not return. Foal or not, our patience will be at an end." On that, he turned on his hoof and left.

Frisk was expecting Hagrid to ask about Magorian's ultimatum, but he didn't seem to care. "Uppity gits. Pay them no mind," he told the Dreemurrs. He turned, considering the unicorn mare, still lying in the center of the clearing. "Did any of yeh notice if the Coerus wounded her at all?"

"I didn't see anything," Asriel said, looking over the mare again. "She's beautiful."

Frisk approached cautiously, with the stallion watching her every step. She lit her wand with the bone light spell that she'd learned from Madam Pomfrey last term. "I don't see any broken bones or anything either," she reported.

"Well, that's good," Hagrid told them. "Sorry for all the extra excitement. You ready for why you were really brought out here?" Hagrid pulled all sorts of colored medicine bottles, and a few apples, out of his bags.

It was difficult to get the unicorn to take its medicine. It must have tasted terrible, as it kept clamping its mouth shut whenever the dropper got close. They each took multiple turns, with none of them being particularly successful. It was only by offering the apples that they got any shot at all. It was a peculiar rhythm, offer the tantalizing apple. Sneak a couple of drops into the open mouth. Then actually give a bit of apple, and start the cycle over.

After about forty five minutes of pleading and conniving, Hagrid called a stop, deeming they'd had gotten enough of the various medicines into the mare that they were done. "I'm out of a few things anyway," Hagrid said. "I'll need to go down to London tomorrow. But before that, I have one last thing to give them." He reached down into the bottom of his bag, pulling out a small cloth sack. From the sack, he shook out three small white cubes into his large palm, and offered one to each of the Dreemurrs.

"Sugar cubes," Frisk determined, feeling hers flake into her hand. Chara had already made her way to the stallion, and Asriel to the foal, so she knelt down again next to the mare. "I know that wasn't pleasant, but you did a good job. It'll make you feel better in the long run." The unicorn licked the cube a few times before taking it in one mouthful, letting it melt in her mouth.

"Time for me to get you back up to the castle before anything else happens," Hagrid told them. It was well and truly dark at this point, with Hagrid's lantern providing the only light. "Some dangerous things in the forest," he warned them, as he walked them as far as the main door of the castle. "So don't think of trying to visit the unicorns yourselves. They're pretty private, mostly."

"How did you know that she needed treatment," Chara asked.

"Firenze told me," Hagrid said. "The centaurs know their stuff, but they don't have access to human shops. Mostly because they don't care to join in. Maybe they couldn't go down to London, but they'd welcome them for a pint at the Three Broomsticks, but they don't ever make the trip. You heard Magorian."

"What about the coerus?" Frisk asked, "It looked like it was starving."

"Creature like the coerus can take care of itself," Hagrid said. "I wouldn't worry..."

"But that's why it attacked the unicorn!" Frisk insisted.

"Alright, Frisk, alright. I'll take a look for it in a day or two. When I get back from London," he told them. They'd arrived at the castle's main door, and Hagrid held it open for them. "We're still just ahead of curfew, so get up to your common room. Thank you for helping me," he finished, winking at them.

"Are you sure you can't go check, Hagrid?" Frisk tried a third time.

"I can't," Hagrid said firmly. "I'll need to talk to Dumbledore and see if he can't help me calm the centaurs down before I go back in there. So. Goodnight," he told them, closing the door before Frisk could try yet again.

"What was all that about, Frisk?" Asriel asked.

So Frisk described what had happened when they went looking for the foal. "I made a promise. If he'd let the unicorn go, I'd come back for it. And I think the centaurs heard me."

"Not tonight, though," Chara said. "You can't think you're going back tonight. You heard what Hagrid said. Sneaking back into the forest in the dark might get us killed. Besides, how do you think you'll get anything for it to eat?"

"There has to be a kitchen here somewhere. They can't just transfigure food from nowhere. That's one of the basics. But," she sad, realizing the other problem, "what kind of food? I guess I'll have to try the library."

"We should ask a teacher to go in with us, McGonagall? Since Hagrid said he'd be going to London?"

Frisk nodded. "Let's go ask her tonight," she said, detouring away from the grand stairwell and towards McGonagall's office. But though they knocked several times, there was no reply at all. "I guess she's not here. We can try again in the morning."

* * *

Frisk was up before breakfast, and almost certainly before her siblings were. She headed down to the school library, which was already open, and was one of the first people there. Hermione had beaten her there, and was looking something up about House Elves. Frisk approached her, got her attention, and asked, "Hey, Hermione? Do you know a good book about magical creatures?"

Hermione thought for a second, "There was a good one I used two years ago, to look up what was attacking people when the Chamber of Secrets," she said finally."I think it was 'The Magical Menagerie'."

"Thanks," Frisk said, going to look. She found the recommended tome and pulled it out. It was sorted alphabetically, so it was easy enough to find the coerus. It was listed as a four X creature, though it was noted that there was occasionally talk of reassigning it to five X, as it was nocturnal, intelligent, strong, and occasionally cruel, though it tended to be wary around wizards. It's main magical feature was its ability to displace where it appeared to be, from an inch or so when young to several feet as an adult. So creatures attempting to flee would actually run right into its waiting jaws and tentacles.

"But what does it eat?" Frisk mumbled, "Other than unicorns and possibly unwary second year wizards?" She slid her fingers down the page. "While its diet mainly consists of small woodland game, it considers fish a delicacy. Because fish use the current in the water rather than eyesight (and the coerus lacks the patience for proper fishing), it is rare that they manage to catch one," she read aloud, earning herself an admonishment from the librarian. And with a couple of quick notes, she headed to the great hall.

"I suppose I should have guessed that," Frisk said at breakfast, explaining what she had found.

"And there's a bit of a problem," Chara said, nodding up to the staff table.

Frisk looked over to it. It wasn't unusual for there to be a staff member or two missing on a weekend day, but not only was Hagrid gone, neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall was present either.

She looked first at Professor Snape, but he looked as grumpy as ever, eating alone to one side of the staff table. So she stood, and made her way instead to Professor Sprout.

The herbology teacher smiled down on her, and when Frisk asked if she could talk to her for a few minutes after breakfast, nodded. "Of course, Frisk. You can come down to the greenhouse with me."

"Thank you professor," Frisk said, going back to finally eat. When she got back, she was intercepted by Opal. "Flying practice?" Opal asked, grinning at her.

"In a little bit," Frisk told her. She let Chara and Asriel fill her in about what happened in the Forbidden Forest, so she could finally eat. "After we talk to her, we'll come find you," Frisk promised, between mouthfuls of orange juice. After some pancakes and eggs, Madam Sprout nodded to her as she was heading out the main door. Frisk hurriedly said goodbye to her friends, and rushed to catch up, with Asirel and Chara close behind her.

In Greenhouse #4, it was Frisk's turn to explain everything that had happened. Madam Sprout listened patiently as she watered the various magical plants. "A coerus? Frisk, those are dangerous creatures. Why would would you take it upon yourself to help them? Is it because you think the centaurs are going to judge you and your family? That's not a good reason to risk yourself."

"It was starving, professor," Frisk said. "And I made a promise."

"It's that important," Asriel agreed. "Before Frisk fell, humans were considered dangerous creatures in the underground, but our mother protected her anyway. And she was protected by someone who had also made a promise."

"If I say no, you'd just go without me, wouldn't you?" Professor Sprout said sagely, looking between the three Dreemurrs. "Very well. After dinner, we will go down to the kitchens, and then we'll see if we can't find your hungry coerus."

Asriel looked like he was about to protest before he realized she had said yes. "Is there anything we can do for you?" he asked instead. When Madam Sprout gave him a questioning look, he explained, "Trading favors is something that's normally expected in the underground."

The professor laughed. "Not right now, go out an enjoy the day."

They caught up with Opal as she was jogging a lap around the castle, she grinned at them and kept going. "Hey!" Steven complained at the end, "I thought you said two laps. That was three," he was panting for breath, Luna and Ginny didn't look that much better.

"Well, I needed to make sure the late comers got their full laps, didn't I?" Opal said, grinning at them, not winded at all.

* * *

Frisk was somewhat distressed, though not particularly surprised, that Asriel and Chara were both picking up on the finer points of handling a broom faster than she had. She wasn't sure if Asriel was up for playing on the house team, but it certainly seemed to be a goal for Chara.

But none of that mattered when they stepped in the forbidden forest. The four lit wands between them, creating a healthy white glow. It was sundown again, the same time they'd entered the previous evening. Madam Sprout had taken them down to the kitchen, and they filled multiple packs with fresh fish provided by the house elves. It all felt like overkill to Frisk, but since it seemed like a better idea to carry to much than not enough, she didn't say anything.

"Now, do you remember where you were?" Madam Sprout asked.

"I think so," Asriel said. "There was a path we seemed to be following. There, this way." And he led them deeper in the forest.

He didn't quite make it all the way there, though the attempt was admirable. "Wait," Chara said, pointing through the trees to their left. "That's the clearing where the unicorns were." It seemed to be, but they were gone now.

"Now that we're here," Madam Sprout asked, with a slight smile on her face, "How do you intend to find it?"

"I..." Frisk started, and then she stopped. She had no idea how she intended to find the coerus. "We search around the place we last saw it?" she offered, forcing a smile. "There was a blood trail?"

"It's still a wild animal, Frisk," Madam Sprout said. "Do you think it'll show up if we simply make a lot of noise?" Her smiled widened, "I suppose it might, if it thought you were prey. I'm sorry, that wasn't very funny, was it?"

Frisk shivered, suddenly aware of how dark it was getting. "Uh, Chara? Asriel? Do you have any ideas? I don't suppose you ever had to track creatures underground, did you?"

"Uh, not really," Asriel said.

Madam Sprout let them stare uncomfortably for a second. "So, consider this a lesson on why to think your plans all the way through before you start out. There is a charm that will let us track a creature with their blood. That's an OWL exam level charm, though, and I wouldn't expect you to know it just yet. Can we find the blood trail again?"

They put their heads down, searching the ground. Chara found the blood drops after a few minutes. She stepped aside, letting the professor take the lead. Madam Sprout wave her wand in a complex pattern. Her wandlight extinguished itself for a moment, but, as she turned on the spot, they could see it brightening again. "That way," she pointed, leading them through the underbrush.

After about ten minutes, at the side of a small brook, they stopped again. Downstream, they could see the coerus staring at them. Frisk had to remind herself that wasn't where it actually was. "I made you a promise," she said, unshouldering her pack. She reached in, pulling out a fish (tuna, perhaps?), it was wet and vaguely slimy in her hand. She tossed it, underhand, and it slid to about a foot or two short of the creature.

It appeared to step back from the meal, and Frisk did the same, watching the fish more closely.

"It's okay," Asriel said, doing his best to sound soothing "Nobody deserves to starve."

After a few more moments, the fish vanished. Frisk looked up, and could see the creature now carrying the fish in its mouth, walking away from the river. "That's odd, I thought it would eat it right on the spot."

"I think I know why," Chara said, giving Madam Sprout a sudden look. "Follow it."

"Follow it?" asked Frisk, "But how would we..." yet, as she watched, the coerus vanished as well, and reappeared not far away, still walking away from them. "I guess?" She said, baffled. They followed it away from the river, to a fallen log, kept from the forest floor by another tree it had fallen against, creating a small protected crevice.

Inside the crevice were three mewling kittens. They looked like large black kittens, with only the vestige nubs of what would become adult tentacles. The kittens attacked the mother's prize while the four of them watched. When the first fish was dispatched, they emptied their packs in front of the crevice, not coming too closely. And it was only when the kittens had stopped eating that the mother, still watching the wizards closely, began to eat themselves.

"Hmph," came a voice to one side. "I did not expect this."

"Howdy," Asriel said as a black coated centaur stepped into view, also watching the feeding family. "What did you expect?"

"To never see you again. You first came to treat the unicorn, and I understand why. Humans adore them. But the coerus is a predator. Humans frequently see them as 'dangerous' and 'ugly', and only look for them to destroy them."

"Everyone deserves a chance," Asriel said. "Dad always said that."

The centaur cocked his head, staring at Asriel. "You have proven it. You came back to fulfill the promise of your herd, perhaps you are worth knowing. What is your name, monster foal?"

"My name is Asriel," he said with a slight bow. "Uh, what's yours?"

"Bane." He let his gaze wandering between Professor Sprout and Asriel. "Magorian will want to know this. Perhaps monsters are worth knowing, even if they affiliate themselves with humans."

"I'm human too!" Frisk protested.

"But you have joined the monster herd, and thus belong with them," Bane told her. Frisk didn't know what to think about that. "I must return to my herd now. But perhaps we shall meet again." He turned, and disappeared into the trees.

"That went surprisingly well," said Madam Sprout. "But I need to get you back up to the castle. Unless there's anything else for you to do out here?"

"I've seen enough of the forest for a while," Asriel admitted, and Chara and Frisk nodded their agreement. "Let's go back. But thank you, Professor. Thank you very much for letting us do this."

 _A/N: This has been a hard chapter to write. Partially because, while I know where I want the story to 'land', I'm having a harder time roadmapping it. If you'd like to discuss further, and I could use the help, perhaps wandering over my Forum: forum/TheZorker-s-Story-Discussion/14541/ As a warning, there will most likely to be unmarked spoilers! And, as always... thanks for reading. - TZ_


	11. Unwilling

To Frisk's relief, things settled down after that weekend. She was grateful, as it offered her the chance to catch up on her homework. Also, at least as importantly, she caught up on her sleep as well.

As the calendar slipped into October, the conversation among the older students in the common room turned to the Triwizard tournament. Frisk herself didn't care that much, she didn't really know anyone who might compete, other than Ginny's twin brothers, if they managed to find a way to sneak in.

Asriel and Chara were starting to practice magic in earnest. They had one night when they both sat entranced, just keeping the feather in air for at least an hour. Frisk grinned to herself as she worked on her herbology essay. She had some memories of doing that herself last year.

On Saturdays, at Opal's insistence, they did their now traditional laps around the castle before getting their chance to do get in some extra flying practice. The weather was starting to turn cool, a reminder that the snows of winter would be on their way eventually. But in the meantime, Opal convinced the others to start throwing the Quaffle around, and while Asriel didn't think he was ready to that just yet, Chara took to it with gusto. She wasn't at Ginny or Opal's level, in Frisk's inexpert opinion, but considering she was a year or two behind them, she had time to catch them.

"You have some talent, Ms. Chara," Madam Hooch observed as they landed to go in for the day. "But don't get cocky, you haven't tried flying around the bludgers yet."

"Those are the balls that that get hit into you, right?" Asriel asked, as they trudged back up to the castle for a late lunch. Frisk and Steve exchanged glances, as Opal and Ginny promptly launched into not just a description of bludgers at the beater position that controlled them, but the strategy around them.

Then, on Sundays, Frisk spent a couple of hours with Madam Pomfrey working in the medical wing. She never knew what would be waiting for her, one main ailment was a sixth year who had been caught from behind by a venomous tentacula, and gotten some serious looking bites.

"They're not called venomous for nothing," Madam Pomfrey grumbled, as Frisk measured out the antidote. "Why Madam Sprout insists on letting students work with it, I don't know. They're dangerous."

"It's a NEWT level course," the sixth year said. "It was my fault."

This admittance of guilt didn't improve the healer's opinion of the situation any.

It was about the middle of the month that Professor Moody announced that he was going to put the imperius curse on each member of the class. He looked around at the wide eyes of his second year students, and Frisk squirmed under his gaze. "This lesson has been specifically requested by the headmaster," he told them. "There's not many people who can both perform the curse and know what it's like to be under it. So, I need a volunteer."

Not a single hand went in the air.

Moody's magical eye roamed the class, and it paused on Frisk for a moment before moving on. "Mr. Schmidt," he said, pointing at Gregory. "Let's try you first. Do your best to resist it. It's possible, because I've had to do it."

But Gregory didn't manage it, he sang the school song without blinking an eye. Frisk had never heard it before. A certain part of her hoped she never had to hear it again.

Romilda Vein repeated a couple of limericks that she would have been mortified to repeat had she been fully awake.

Keith Masterson did a standing backflip that he would never have been capable of normally.

Then it was Frisk's turn, she felt the butterflies in her stomach as she went up to the front of the class. There was an odd look in Moody's normal eye as he studied Frisk, a hesitation before he pointed his wand. "Imperius!" he commanded.

Frisk's mind when momentarily blank. She could see the others in her class, but it was through a film. Not so much a fog, but like looking through a glass of not quite clear water. Her thoughts, her fears, were wiped away, and she felt simply content. She stood there, just smiling, as a large figure slid in the corner of her vision. It almost felt like she had just woken up, like from a fall. "Turn towards me," that figure said.

She did so, obediently, bringing the figure fully in front of her. It took another second, but it finally registered back that she was looking at Professor Moody. "Now hit me."

Frisk had balled her hands into fists before hearing a voice in her head. This voice, which sounded rather like Toriel, asked her _what she was doing_. Frisk froze, trying to remember the answer that question. Right. It was because the nice man had asked him to.

 _Hitting a teacher? Won't that get you in trouble?_

"I give you permission. Don't I deserve it? Aren't I a murderer? Strike me!"

She pulled back her arm, but just as she was about to swing, another voice came into her head. _I thought you said even the worst person could change_.The second voice, which sounded like Chara, caused Frisk to try to abort her swing, and she toppled over in an undignified heap at the foot of her professor.

There was silence in the classroom, as Frisk's mind came back into focus. As her eyes opened to the world again, she realized she was lying on her side on the floor, staring into Moody's peg leg. She had a slight headache, and she might have bruised her shins again. "What just happened?" Frisk asked, trying to make sense of it.

"You fought it!" Moody crowed. His magical eye roamed the classroom, making sure everyone was paying attention while his normal eye was locked onto Frisk. "You fought it, and I thought you were going to beat it! Did everyone see her eyes? That's where you can really tell someone is being controlled. The contrast in the eyes will show you what at target is actually thinking!"

"Professor?" asked Wendy, raising her hand. "Is there a way to free someone from the imperius curse if we know they're being controlled?"

"Sometimes they can be broken free by a shock to their system, splashing them with water, or through pain." Moody said, as Frisk picked herself on the floor. "Hold on, Frisk," and he put a hand up, as she was about to head back to her desk. "A better way is to find the person controlling him or her, and give that dark wizard a shock to their system."

Frisk looked warily up at Moody. "Professor?" she asked.

"Only a handful of my older students could resist the charm. A fourth year managed it. I'd like to see if you can throw it off completely." His normal eye glittered in anticipation. "Are you up for the challenge?"

Frisk stepped back. She didn't really want to go through that again. But still, some part of her wanted to take up that gauntlet. She wanted to prove that she wasn't going to be controlled like that, not by Moody, not by anyone. She gave a slight nod, and her most determined smile. "Okay. I'll do it."

And while it took a few more tries, and it was harder if he wasn't ordering her to strike him, she was able to throw it off completely. On the success, where she barely flinched, the other students broke into tentative applause. Moody looked at her warily, then clapped along with them. "Very good. Even someone really trying will have a hard time controlling you. I can think of a number of wizards who would be very envious of you right now."

"Thank you, professor," Frisk said, finally able to return to her desk.

As Laura took Frisk's place to be subject to the curse, Frisk had to wonder if Moody was going to repeat this lesson with the first years.

* * *

Chara was felt like she might be sick going into defense that afternoon. Frisk had mentioned what she had gone through earlier that week. Professor Moody was right about one thing: Chara was extremely envious of Frisk throwing off the imperius charm.

Professor Moody went through the attendance, his magical eye going to each of them in turn. When he was done, he looked up. "At this point, I suspect the rumor mill has told you what we will be doing today..."

Chara didn't hear the next bit. She was too busy replaying the scene in her mind. She was on the slope of Mt. Ebott, having been apparated there by her parents. Her mother had put the imperius charm on her, and told her to climb the mountain. She had done so. It had been the last Chara had seen either of them, she had fallen to the underground. Did they know that she'd 'survived'? Would they be happy? Or was it the thing they had been trying to prevent.

She was jabbed back to the present by a furry hand. "Volunteer," Asriel whispered to her. "Get it over with."

Chara, startled, looked up, directly into both eyes of Mad Eye Moody. He grinned at her. "Chara. You can be first,"

Chara froze in her chair, her hands gripping her desk tightly, staring at Moody. "no," she whispered. "I don't need to know, I..." she stopped, afraid to admit that she'd been through it once. Moody's eyes were a weird dichotomy of inhuman stare and very human curiosity.

"I won't make you do it," Moody said. "But that's today's lesson. The door is over there. You do need to know. For yourself, and for others." And he let that threat hang in the air.

"Get it over now," whispered Asriel. "I believe in you." Moody's magical eye glanced over to Asriel, but he didn't say anything.

Very slowly, Chara rose to her feet, and took a spot in front of the class. As she turned to face Moody, she caught a glimpse of Asriel to the side giving her a broad smile. But when the curse was put on her, she acted like a chicken, just as she was asked.

"Total control," Moody whispered as Chara came back to herself, slinking back to her seat. The other students, other than Asriel, were laughing. He reached over and pounded his desk, and everyone was quiet. "I can, and will, have someone sing for us, someone do acrobatics. But," his magical eye wandered the class. "I could just easily have someone try to curse their best friend. Or," he pointed at the window, "Jump directly through the glass, and fall four floors to the ground."

Chara broke, the tears starting to come, and the magical eye focused on her for several seconds. She didn't pay much attention to the rest of the lesson. Asriel had to tell her as they were packing up that nobody was able to shake the curse, and that Moody said he hadn't expected anyone to, not at first year. He was still really surprised a second year had managed it.

"Ah, Ms. Dreemurr," he said, just after the bell rang. Chara and Asriel were one of the last to leave. "You took that hard, though I'm glad to see you made it through. Would you, and your brother, like a cup of tea, to relax a bit?"

Chara was all set to to decline, but Asriel had piped up first. "I think that would be good, professor." So, with wide eyes, the three of them headed out of the classroom down to Moody's office on the second floor. The office itself was decorated with all sorts of objects, mostly magical. The most apparent was what appeared to be a mirror, hanging on a side wall. What made it different was three dark silhouettes, moving around in the glass, apparently at some distance. "What's that?" Asriel asked.

Moody gave his barking laugh, aiming a charm on a teakettle, causing it to glow red. "That is my foe glass. I don't have to worry until I see the whites of their eyes." He indicated some chairs, and the Dreemer children sat down, then he went to fetch cups and pour the warmed tea.

The tea was palatable. Chara hadn't quite picked up the Dreemurr's taste for the drink, but it had a hint of sugar, so it wasn't bad. She still would have preferred coco. Asriel sipped it deeply. "Are you feeling better, Ms. Dreemurr?" Mr. Moody asked.

"I think so, professor, thank you," Chara told him. And it was true, she was feeling better. She wasn't sure she'd ever get over what happened, but it had led her to finding a true family, one that only wanted the best for her. And Asriel, sitting right there, had helped her with that.

"Do you want to talk about anything that happened?" Moody asked. "It was clear that something did."

"No," Chara said. "I really don't."

"I'm sorry professor," Asriel said before Moody could open his mouth to speak again. "I'd really like to have a chance to visit the library before dinner tonight. But thank you for the tea."

"Ah," Moody said. "Well, before you go, I remember hearing from Hagrid how good all three of you are with animals. You ever see a dragon before?"

"No," Chara said, looking up. "Why?"

"Well. I have a book that I picked up at Flourish & Blotts over the summer. Thought you might like to take a look at it," he said, handing it over for Chara's inspection. It was called 'The Muggles Guide to Dragons'. "And, well, it might come up, say, later this year?" He smiled at the them, "But you didn't hear that from me."

"Wait," Chara said, comprehension dawning. "Do you mean there will be dragons... here... for the triwizard tournament?"

"Didn't you just say you wanted to get to the library?" Moody asked, winking his normal eye. "Get going, then." Chara and Asriel left, eagerly discussing the book, and trying to figure out how to let Undyne and Alphys know that dragons might be coming.

Moody watched Chara go, his brow furrowed.

* * *

On Friday morning, the day the other schools arrived, Frisk noted Hermione prowling around the common room before breakfast, and made a beeline to the portrait hole. The fourth year was getting more and more adamant about S.P.E.W. Having met a few house elves last year, Frisk really didn't know what to think about them, but was pretty sure Hermione hadn't actually met any herself. So she was to be avoided. "Did you get past her safely?" she asked a badgered looking Asriel, when she'd reached the Great Hall.

"No. There were a few of us on the stairs together," he reported, "But I was the one she cornered. It's not like we get any pocket money to spend here. Why she goes after us, I have no idea."

He poured a goblet of orange juice, and drank half of it in one go.

Chara sat down next to her a few minutes later, completely exasperated. "House elves don't want to be freed. I knew a few of them. Except maybe... well, his. Are there any crumpets this morning?"

Mail came during breakfast, and the three Dreemurr children each received another letter from home. Along with the usual well wishes and admonishments to keep up with schoolwork, there was the following directive. "On November 22nd, the first Hogsmeade weekend, we'll be coming up to the Hogwarts area. We've been invited to have dinner with the Centaur Herd of the Dark Forest, a first meeting between monsters and Centaurs. We want our full family there, so we'll be meeting you at the castle that morning."

"What's that?" Ginny asked, sitting down on her other side. "You're going to meet the centaur herd? I've never seen a centaur before, I'm envious."

"They're not the most social creatures I've met," Frisk told her, relating her previous experiences. "But if it helps Mom and Dad, I'll look forward to it." But there was something more immediate to look forward to. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs were arriving that day.

They were excused from the last class about half an hour early, and joined the throng of fellow Gryffindors in depositing their school things and taking their heavy cloaks. Professor McGonagall was sorting them all into a line, "First years in front, that better include you, Frisk, you'll want to see." When they were organized to her satisfaction, the students trooped into cool autumn night.

"You alright there, Dennis?" Asriel asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I hope Colin has his camera, this is so exciting!" he said, eagerly scanning the sky for any hint of the arriving foreign schools. Frisk stared at the positively giant carriage that landed in front of them, drawn by pegasuses (pegasi?) that were all the size of small elephants. The large woman, who must have been their chaperone emerged, to Dumbleodre's polite applause, joined by the rest of the students.

When Madame Maxine and the students headed for the main doors, the students had to part to let them pass, this left Asriel on a corner of the crowd. Many of the passing Beauxbaton students stared at him, and a few of them stopped in surprise, causing the ones behind them to stumble into them. There was one boy on the end of the line that gave Asriel a very brief nod and smile as they passed. Frisk frowned, did she know him?

Then came the ship, looking remarkably like the Black Pearl from that Pirate movie. If there had been skeletons crewing it, Frisk wouldn't have been surprised. Disturbed, perhaps, as it would have meant monsters were free elsewhere, but not actually surprised.

"Wait," Dennis said as the students emerged from the Durmstrang ship. "Is that Krum?" It was Krum, the seeker of the Bulgarian national team. Frisk could hear Chara trying to find some sort of quill in her pockets, only to realize she'd left them all in Gryffindor tower. But Frisk was looking at the other students from the delegation, while Krum was getting personalized treatment from their chaperone, the others looked rather grumpy, and somewhat lost.

They all crossed into the great hall, with the Durmstangs, including Krum, settled on the Slytherin table on the other side of the hall, while the Beauxbatons were two tables away with the Ravenclaws.

The dinner that appeared in the Great Hall was even more of a feast than even Hogwarts usual standards. There were several dishes that were undeniably foreign. "Wiener schnitzel," said Walter, pointing at one pan fried meat. "Austrian. My parents took me on holiday there last summer. It's pretty good." Frisk tried some, and she had to agree, it was pretty good.

After dinner, and introducing Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman, Professor Dumbledore gave the overview of what would be happening for the Triwizard Tournament. "All these preparations?" complained Keith Duncan, from somewhere up the table, "And they're not even something we get to participate in?"

Frisk had to give him that. It was kind of disappointing. Since there seemed to be a crowd at the end of the hall, they stalked for a while, waiting for it to clear. When it finally did, they reached the door with some of the students from Beauxbaton. "At least it will be warm there," said a girl with silvery long hair.

"A moment, Madam Maxine?" said one boy, as he noticed Asriel. "That is Asriel Dreemurr, the monster of the British underground. He came and introduced himself to me and my sister at the world cup this summer."

Asriel suddenly lit up. "Gerald!" he exclaimed, holding our a paw to shake.

"Oui," he said, smiling, clasping the paw momentarily. Some of the other students had turned to stare.

"So this is the monster Dumbly-dore decided to get in such a fuss over," Madam Maxine said, looking (a long way) down at Asriel. "I hope you are proving his trust is well given!" She was only the second person Frisk had met that was taller and larger than Dad, and it was rather intimidating. "It is good to see you, but it is bedtime, students. We must get back to the carriage!" And that was fair, it was time for their bed as well.

Frisk slept late the next day intentionally. She didn't really care about the Triwizard tournament. Though, when she did get down to breakfast, she did see Fred and George Weasley sporting some fascinating long white beards on their way to see Madam Pomfrey.

Frisk decided, in advance, that this is one of the things that Pomfrey probably did not need her help with.

They got their flying practice as the other members of their group discussed who might enter the tournament from Hogwarts. "I know Angelina is entering," said Ginny.

"So did Warrington," confirmed Steven. "From my house, you've seen him. That big chaser on our Quidditch team. He's not that bad. Anyone from Ravenclaw, Luna?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "I don't really know."

"Penelope Clearwater did," said Opal, causing Ginny look over in surprise. "So did Marcus Collins. He's a prefect."

"I remember him," said Frisk. "He helped me to the hospital wing when Cormac broke my shin." Steven looked down for a moment, not liking the memory. "Anyone from Hufflepuff, Opal?"

"Cedric Diggory, the seeker on our house team," Opal said. "And I hope he gets it. I thought we had a real chance of not finishing last after we beat Gryffindor, but we lost so badly to Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

They packed up early as rain started to fall, mulled around in the great hall for a while, then broke up to do homework. After dinner, the excitement was palpable, and even Frisk got caught up in it, though perhaps not as fiercely as other people.

There was rather enthusiastic applause when Victor Krum's name was announced, though the rest of the Durmstrang delegation was too far away to see their reaction. When Fleur Delacour's name was second, there was a round of politer applause, though she could see the disappointed looks on some of the Beauxbatons. Then there was a loud roar, especially from the Hufflepuff table as Cedric Diggory's name was announced. Frisk didn't think there was anyone louder than Opal, sitting directly behind her. Frisk was momentarily deafened.

Then Harry Potter's name came _fourth_ and the hall went silent. The three headmasters, Barty Crouch, Mad Eye Moody, and Ludo Bagman all disappeared after Harry, leaving the hall in a state of confusion. Frisk was painfully aware of how angry the majority of the hall sounded. Opal stared at the Gryffindor table with a look of pure disgust and stalked off towards the door.

Frisk tried to follow, but lost her near the stairway, and since she had no idea where the Hufflepuff common room was, had to give up the chase. She headed up towards the Gryffindor common room instead. Fred and George appeared soon after (without their beards) with food and drink, appearing ready for a party. The common room filled up with other Gryffindors all excited that they'd gotten their very own school champion.

But when Harry appeared, Frisk could tell he didn't look excited. In fact, the more she studied him, the more despondent and terrified he looked. On the pretense of handing him a bottle of butterbeer, she took his hand, and tried to drag him away from the others. "Harry?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Harry looked her right in the eyes. "I think someone's trying to kill me," he whispered back.


	12. A School Divided

"What?" asked Frisk blankly, as Harry was swept off again. But the crowd either didn't hear or didn't care. Frisk wanted to shout at them, to get them to leave Harry alone, or at least just listen to him for a second. But she hated crowds, and before she could work up the courage, Harry shouted that he was tired, and he was going to bed.

Frisk watched him disappear up the stairs, and then looked around for Chara and Asriel. She found her siblings talking with Collin and Dennis Creevy at one of the tables. "Isn't it cool?" Colin said, almost bursting with excitement. "Gryffindor gets their own champion!"

"I wonder how he did it," Chara said. "I saw a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff stopped by the age line. I'm not even sure when he would have been able to put his name in."

Frisk sat down, thinking. "I don't think he did," she said finally. The others stared at her. "Do you remember what Moody said about eyes?" Frisk asked. The others nodded, staring over at her. "I saw Harry's eyes. They were wide. He was just staring. There was no excitement in those eyes, nothing that made it look like he got away with something. He said he thought someone was trying to get him killed."

"But," Dennis protested with wide eyes. "Who would do such a thing? Who would try to kill Harry?"

"I didn't get a chance to ask," Frisk said. "And I have no idea."

"A Death Eater," suggested Chara. "He's the boy who lived. One of you know who's supporters might be trying to get revenge on the person who brought him down."

Both Dennis's and Colin's eyes went wide at the thought. Frisk felt her breath catch, remembering the cruel wizards who tormented the muggle family at the world cup. "Under the eye of Dumbledore?" Asriel asked. "How?"

"I don't know," Chara said, "Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong."

"Come off it," said one of the Weasley twins, from behind Frisk, causing her to jump. "He just doesn't want to admit it to the school, or explain it in front of Dumbledore. I wish I knew how he pulled it off, though."

"You saw him," Frisk said, once she'd regained her seat. "There's no way."

"Just means he's good at hiding it," the twin said, walking away again.

"That's what he'd do," Asriel said, watching him head back off into the center of attention. "But what can we do?"

"Yeah," said Dennis."If Harry's right, and someone is trying to hurt him, we should help him," he looked around at Frisk and his older brother. "How do we do that?"

"Why is everyone looking at me?" Frisk said, as everyone's gaze turned toward her. "Just be there for him. Believe him," she shrugged helplessly. "Keep your eyes open?" she suggested.

"We can do that," promised Colin, sounding excited. "If we can help Harry, maybe he'll finally give me his autograph!". Frisk sighed. It appeared the third year meant well, but he was so enthusiastic about everything. It was exhausting. They talked a little more before Frisk realized how tired she had gotten, and headed up to her own bed.

Frisk woke up late the next morning, and the common room was nearly empty when she got there. The two Creevy brothers were there again, and they waved at her as she went by. "Nothing to report!" Collin told her. "Harry's already headed downstairs." Slightly regretting telling them, Frisk made her way to the portrait hole and down to the still buzzing great hall for breakfast. On her way down, she encountered Asriel on his way to the library. "I want to find out everything I can about Centaurs," Asriel explained. "Since Mom and Dad are going to have dinner with them. If you're looking for Chara, she was just starting breakfast, She slept in a bit," He grinned. "You slept in a lot."

Frisk scanned the Great Hall when she arrived, but neither person she was looking for was there. Not Opal, whom she looked for first, not Harry, nor even Ron or Hermione. She thought for a second, and looked down the Slytherin table, spotting Steven, she headed in his direction. She was taken aback, however, by the sheer volume of nasty looks she got from nearly everyone else at the table.

"I'm not actually Harry," she said, attempting to placate them. But this didn't really help. Steven looked up. "Oh. Potions questions?" he asked easily. There were mild snorts by the Slytherin next to him. Apparently, they thought about as highly as him having a Gryffindor partner as her housemates did about her partnering with a Slytherin.

Frisk was taken by surprise, "Actually, I... " she looked around at the Slytherins who were making even angrier noises.

"I'll find you after breakfast," Steven said, turning back to his food. Frisk gladly fled the hostile atmosphere for the safety of the Gryffindor table, sitting next to Chara. The conversation around the table was still centered on the Triwizard (or was it the 'Quadwizard' tournament now?) and Harry Potter's participation in it. Frisk didn't add anything to it, she just kept her head down and listened.

When Steven came up, Chara joined them in walking towards the hospital wing. "Sorry about that," Steven told her. "Slytherin is feeling more hatred towards Gryffindor than normal. Nobody can believe Harry Potter got away with it, again."

"Got away with it?" Frisk asked, though she thought she knew where this was headed.

Steven gave her a slight smile. "Do you know what it's like, being a Slytherin? A lot of people think we're just sneaky gits. So people think everything we could do is a plot or scheme. I'm sure you've heard that Slytherin house had more accused death eaters than the other three houses combined."

Frisk hadn't, but Chara was nodding, she must have had heard something like that.

Steven sighed. "We don't get breaks. Then Harry Potter comes along, he didn't get punished last term for sneaking out into Hogsmeade; and now instead of being punished for evading the age line, he gets to participate?" Steven said. "I think Luna had it right last year. He is better at being a Slytherin."

"Harry said he didn't put his name in, though," Frisk said. "He thinks someone is trying to kill him."

Steven looked at Frisk, gauging how serious her face was. "How did he come up with that idea?" he asked. "I mean, why participate at all?"

"The headmaster said it was an unbreakable magical contract, didn't he?" Chara asked.

"If you put your own name in, right? If he didn't put his name in, it's not signing the contact is it?" Steven countered. "Besides. I'll bet you a sickle that he tries to win."

"I don't know," Frisk said. "I wonder if he's asking the headmaster. But, I mean, if he didn't put his name in, why would anyone else?" Frisk thought.

"He really does think like a Slytherin," Steven proclaimed. "Maybe he's even right. Or maybe someone just wants to embarrass him."

"I still think it might be a death eater," Chara said. "Trying to get revenge."

Steven opened his mouth to speak, looking upset, but Frisk cut him off. "But we don't know anything about them," Frisk said. "That's not what I was going to ask about, but you grew up in a magical family. Do you know anything about death eaters?"

Steven looked mollified. "No, I really don't," Steven said. "That was before I was born. But there's only two people it could have been, isn't there? The headmasters of Durmstrang and Beauxbaton?"

"There's Mister Bagman and Mister Crouch, too," Chara pointed out. "Or maybe one of the students? Working on behalf of the parents?"

They were at the hospital door. "That's not actually what I wanted to ask about. Have you seen Opal this morning? She looked really upset last night. I was hoping to catch her at breakfast."

Steven thought for a second. "No, I haven't. I'll let her know you're looking for her if I do." He eyed the hospital door for a moment. "Enjoy your time with Madam Pomfrey."

"I'm going to join Asriel," Chara said. "We have a star chart to work on, and I don't think the common room is going to be quiet at all today."

* * *

Frisk thought things were going to be normal in her classes, but she was very much mistaken. She tried on Monday to see Opal again, but it became apparent that her Hufflepuff friend was actively avoiding her.

But on Tuesday, she had Herbology in the morning. Opal would have to be there. They were supposed to be moving Mandrakes to bigger pots. Which meant Opal, who had gotten there before her, was wearing ear protection. And that meant Opal didn't have to pretend she couldn't hear Frisk, she probably really couldn't.

But even that went further, normally they would have worked together on the task of the day, but Opal was actively trying to ignore her. She'd isolated herself with the other Hufflepuffs, and was pointedly ignoring the Gryffindors, especially Frisk. When the lesson was over, Opal tried to leave quickly, but Frisk tried to go with her.

"Opal, what's wrong?" she asked.

Opal whirled around at her. "What's wrong?" she shouted. "Every time Hufflepuff has something go right for us, something happens to take it away. Quidditch, the Triwizard, everything! We're the afterthought, and it is not **fair!** "

"But I'm not Harry!" Frisk shouted.

"Does that mean you'll support Cedric as the proper Hogwarts champion?" Opal said, the taller girl bearing down on Frisk.

"I don't care about the Triwizard tournament," Frisk protested.

But that must have been the wrong thing to say, because Opal stormed away, a storm cloud still present on her face. Frisk looked around, hoping someone would be there to support her, but Madam Sprout had gone back into the Greenhouse, most of the other Gryffindors had headed toward the Great Hall. The only ones nearby were other Hufflepuff, and their faces were, if anything, more hostile than the Slytherins she saw on Sunday.

Lunch was a somber affair. Frisk wasn't the only one who'd had bad experiences with other houses. Asriel and Chara had potions the previous day, and that hadn't gone well. "We had managed to partner with the Slytherins before," Asriel told her to Frisk's surprise. She hadn't known they'd taken her up on that idea. "But not yesterday, they didn't want anything to do with us. And Snape was just being mean."

"We have flying this afternoon," Chara said. "I'm not looking forward to it. I can only imagine what the Hufflepuffs are going through."

A lot of the table had similar issues, but had chosen to band together against the others. Apparently, it was going to be Gryffindor against, not just the other two schools, but the rest of her own school as well. Frisk hated it.

But the worst was in her own potions class. It was worse because the attacks came from her own house. Steven had been her potions partner since she encountered him being bullied by an older Gryffindor. But when they arrived outside the dungeon door that Tuesday, Frisk and Steven were assaulted on both sides for their friendship. Slytherin and Gryffindor alike shouted at them for their treachery.

Steven was the one who snapped first. "Yes, you are my housemates," he shouted. "But Frisk stood up for me when she didn't have to. And I won't have any of you lot telling me who I can be friends with! If you don't want people comparing you to Dark wizards because we're in Slytherin, don't compare Frisk because she's in Harry Potter's house!"

The dungeon door banged open, making them all jump. "Well said, Mr. Marsh," hissed Snape, glowering around at the class. "And if I hear any peeps from this class about the Triwizard tournament, you will all regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

There was silence.

"I said, 'Do I make myself clear?' I expect you to respond," hissed Snape, even more impatient.

"Yes, Professor," they chorused.

But that wasn't that. Frisk could hear the mutterings, the grumbles. Frisk was still considered to be 'consorting with the enemy'. She couldn't hear the other side of the room, but she imagined it was the same for Steven. Frisk tried to ignore them, to keep her head down and her mind focused on Snape's potion instruction, but it was difficult.

When the class was over, Frisk intentionally waited until the rest of the class had left before she left herself. Steven waited with her. Just before she got up, Snape looked toward them. For a change, he was seated behind his desk, looking through a gap of corked bottles. This had the curious effect of making him eye level, more or less. "Do not let this change you," he advised, before looking away again.

Frisk and Steven looked at each other, but neither understood what that was supposed to mean, or even who he was talking to. They decided not to ask for clarity, though, and instead headed for the exit. "Thanks," Frisk said, as she reached out to open the door for him. "I hope you don't get bullied on my account."

Steven opened his mouth to say something, and apparently thought better of it. Instead he only said, "Cheers, Frisk. I hope you don't either." With that, they headed up the stairs towards their next classes. He was sadly prophetic.

Early that evening, after dinner, Frisk had come the common room, and parked herself at a table with Ginny, Asriel, and Chara. She had barely begun work on her potion essay, when she was interrupted by the deep, familiar voice, of an older student. "I thought I warned you about making friends with dirty Slytherins, Frisk."

Frisk sighed. "I don't want to talk to you, Cormac," she said, not lifting her eyes from her essay.

In response, Frisk's chair was tipped over from behind, and she fell, landing on her back with a muffled 'thump'. It hurt, not just physically, but in her soul as well, the person who had done that had wanted it to hurt. She looked up into the large, well built face of Cormac McLaggen, the same person she'd interrupted bullying Steven Marsh the previous year.

Asriel and Chara were both between Frisk and Cormac in the time it took to blink. Asriel's eyes were wide. He'd drawn his wand, it was visibly shaking in his hands. Chara had balled her hands into fists, looking ready to go after the fifth year. "What do you think you're doing, Cormac?" Ginny asked, angrily.

"Getting her attention," Cormac said. He looked down at Frisk, starting to pick herself back up. "You need to remember what house you're in. It's us against them."

Frisk climbed to her feet, aware that the common room's usual chatter had gone very silent. "It is not us against them. Isn't the triwizard tournament supposed to bring us closer together?"

"You've seen what the other houses think of Harry," Cormac snorted. "Has it?"

"No," Frisk whispered.

"There you have it," Cormac sneered. "Wake up, Frisk. You've seen how the school treats Harry, and you need to figure out who's side your on. With us, or against us. And remember who you share your common room with," He punched his palm a few times to be sure Frisk got the point. "Say you understand."

"You're threatening her," Chara said, stepping forward towards the much larger boy.

Frisk reached out, and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It's okay Chara." She was trying to sound confident, but as she looked around the room, everyone was staring at them. "I'm not going to let him control me. Steven is my friend."

"Our friend," said Asriel, touching his fingers to his chest.

"And I'm not going to let anyone tell me who my friends are, either. I don't care about the tournament, my friends are more important." Frisk stepped to the side, out from behind her siblings, facing Cormac directly. "So no. I don't understand. I don't understand any of it." She looked around the other students, then back at Cormac. "Are you going to try to make me understand?"

Cormac must have thought Frisk was going to just crumble, because he while he stared daggers at her, he made no move to carry out his threat. "You heard her," he finally said, looking over his shoulder. "She's not a Gryffindor. She doesn't understand what it means to be a Gryffindor." He turned back to Frisk, "Watch your back. Dreemurrs." He stalked away, up the stairs, to the boys dormitories.

Nobody said anything. Frisk wasn't sure anyone knew what to say. She picked up the chair, setting it upright, and moved to resume her potion essay.

"Isn't anyone going to speak up?" Ginny demanded. "No one?"

Frisk could hear the mutters, a lot of others must have gotten the cold shoulder from their own friends over the last two days. She didn't think that everyone thought Cormac was right, but enough did. And those that didn't still wanted to support Harry.

Over the next day, Frisk got quiet comments of supports from some of her fellow Gryffindors. But that was washed out by the looks she got at mealtime. The ranks had closed, and Frisk was on the outside.

She was one of the last people left in the common room that night, when she finally broke, letting the tears roll down. She had started a letter home, detailing everything that had happened that week. Tears stained the parchment. "I thought this triwizard tournament was supposed to bring us together. But it's broken my friendships with Opal, it's broken my relationships in my own house. What am I going to do?"


	13. Bully Response

Frisk got up early the next morning. She wanted to make it up to the Owlery before before breakfast. But breakfast hadn't improved significantly since the previous day. There wasn't any more overt hostility, but outside of Chara and Asriel, she was almost ostracized.

During transfiguration that day, she was trying to transfigure a beetle into a button, but kept ending up with a button that skittered away under the desk when McGonagall tapped her on the shoulder. "I will need to see you after class, Ms. Dreemurr."

Frisk swallowed down a frustrated sigh, wondering what more could possibly happen. Once the other students had trundled out of the room, Professor McGonagall closed the door with a flick of her wand.

McGonagall didn't say anything at first, the two of them just looked at each other. "I'm going to assume you've heard your parents will be coming to pick you up in mid November?" she asked.

"And we're to have dinner with the forbidden forest Centaur tribe," Frisk said, uncertainly. This can't be what the professor wanted to talk to her about.

"Very well," McGonagall said. "Now, Frisk, I need you to tell me exactly what happened in the common room on Tuesday night."

"Who told you?" asked Frisk. "A Prefect? Ginny?"

McGonagall gave her a level stare. "There were no prefects in there at the time. There's always supposed to be someone in the common room and there wasn't. I will have to get together and talk to them. And it wasn't just Ginny, her classmate Colin confirmed what she told me. Dennis came to me with your siblings, after their class as well."

That was the last two names Frisk had expected to hear. The common room hadn't been that full when the incident had happened, it had been right after dinner. She didn't even remember seeing them in the common room, but she had been somewhat preoccupied. Frisk gave her accounting, from the initial comment before having her chair tipped over, to the threat at the end.

"Thank you, Frisk," McGonagall said. Frisk sat there for a second, reliving the event in her minds. She was about to stand when McGonagall spoke again, "One last question, why didn't you come to me yesterday? Would you have said something if I hadn't?"

"I didn't want to get Cormac in trouble," Frisk said, quietly. McGonagall stared at her in surprise. "If I get Cormac in trouble, he just gets more upset, and maybe comes after me again. And I get him in trouble again? Where does it stop?"

"But he attacked you," the professor said. Her face was concerned. She apparently didn't think Frisk was thinking right.

"So did Undyne," Frisk told her, looking up at her professor with half-lidded eyes. "She attacked me and tried to kill me. All Cormac did was knock my chair over."

The professor thought about it, looking at Frisk through her glasses. "I'm not sure it's the same, Frisk. From what I remember about your story, Undyne attacked you because you were human, right?" She asked, and Frisk nodded. "Cormac attacked you, not for what you were, but for what you did," McGonagall said. "You don't think what you did was wrong, do you?"

"No!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Good," McGonagall told her. "Undyne made a mistake. She didn't understand you. Cormac understood all too well, and he didn't like it. Do you understand the difference?"

Frisk wasn't sure she did. "But I want to forgive him, I'd rather help him," she protested.

"Then let me put this way. He broke school rules, and that comes with consequences. If we let that go, what do we do when the next person breaks the rules?"

That Frisk understood, she didn't particularly like it, but she understood. She wasn't even sure how she would have helped Cormac. "I guess I get it, professor. But how can I get them to understand? Understand that it's just a game, and not worth burning friendships over?"

McGonagall regarded Frisk. "You mean Ms. Oxtoby in Hufflepuff. I don't know, Frisk. You know her far better than I do. But you're smart enough to come up with a way."

Frisk knew it was a compliment, but still felt somewhat disappointed. McGonagall looked like she was about to send Frisk on, but Frisk had one more question. "Professor, why does Harry Potter have to compete? Why can't he just skip the Tri-wizard tournament?"

McGonagall laughed, it was an exasperated, frustrated sound. "Because Mr. Crouch wrote the Goblet contract badly! Neither Dumbledore nor I really have a background in contract law, and I would have thought he would have done a good job. Instead of writing that you had to compete, 'If you put your name in, and your name came out,' it was simply, 'If your name came out.' Mr. Potter... and the rest of us, are stuck with that. He is required to compete 'To the best of his or her ability'." McGonagall fixed Frisk with a knowing eye. "I can see you have another question. We don't know, except that I'm sure it's not Mr. Potter."

Frisk nodded, thanked the professor, and was dismissed off to her next class.

* * *

McGonagall must have threatened the Gryffindor prefects solidly; because for the rest of the week, each time Frisk came to the common room, there was a very prominent prefect sitting in the middle of the room. Cormac must have been serving some type of detention, for he was coming in grumpy and late. Each time, he'd give Frisk a rather dark stare, but not actually do anything.

That Saturday she was sitting with her siblings at the Gryffindor table at breakfast, waiting for the owls to come in the mail. Cormac had arrived at breakfast, and gave Frisk a shove on the way past. "Don't you want to do something about that?" Chara asked, her eyes following Cormac on this way down the table.

"I can ignore it," said Frisk, shaking her head. In fact, she had been determined not to let Cormac bother her at all.

"You shouldn't," said Chara. "It'll only get worse until he does get a reaction."

"She stood up to him pretty well in the common room," Asriel reminded. "But I kind of agree with Chara. He doesn't appear to be stopping."

The conversation was interrupted by the owl post, which had a number of letters for the Dreemer children. Frisk, in particular, had letters from just about everyone, and they contained condolences for what was going on with her friends, to how to deal with a bully. Papyrus, naturally, suggested befriending Cormac through his stomach, while Undyne wanted her to take an aggressive approach. Dad, on the other hand, just wanted her to make sure to tell her professors before anything got out of control.

It was all good, if contradictory, advice.

What Frisk mostly wanted was advice on how to get Opal talking to her again. She'd tried again the few times she'd spotted Opal in the Great Hall, but Opal was resolutely ignoring her. But the only real advice she'd gotten came from her mother, who'd been in contact with Ms. Oxtoby. And that was to give her friend time to calm down. "She's your friend, and she'll remember that."

Then there was the letter from Alphys. It was cryptic, only that she had an idea that might give the rest of the school "Competition they wanted, and Cooperation they needed. Kind of like a raid boss," Frisk read aloud. "Do you have any idea what that means?" she asked. Neither Chara and Asriel had a response. "Apparently not," said Frisk.

Ginny sat down next to Chara on the other side. "Are we going for some flying this afternoon?" Frisk started. She didn't really want to go without Opal, but winter was coming. And Chara and Asriel had already said yes. So, joined by Luna and Steven, they headed out in the cool November wind. Frisk insisted on running their now established laps, no matter how many strange looks they got.

"Where is Opal?" Luna asked as they headed to the broom closet. When Frisk filled her in, Luna looked mildly curious. "The opinion in the Ravenclaw common room is that Harry is a glory seeker. But what does that have to do with you?"

"She's holding Harry's position as 'fourth' Champion against all Gryffindors," Frisk said quietly. "She thought it should have been Hufflepuff's time to shine."

"I seem to recall going through this last year, with Draco and Slytherins," Luna said, looking over at Steven. "Would you like me to remind her, if I see her in the hall?"

Frisk was about to hug Luna when Luna stepped back, looking mildly alarmed. Frisk held out her hand instead. "Please, Luna. I would like that a lot."

Luna looked at the hand, but just nodded instead. "Okay, I will," she said, and a slight smile appeared on her face.

* * *

Later that week, Frisk was up late in a mostly empty common room, her siblings having gone to bed already. She was working on a star chart that she'd left far too long, when Hermione Granger dropped in to the chair across from her with a frustrated, "They're so stupid!"

Frisk looked up in surprise. Hermione had joined her in saving her siblings, but the fourth year wasn't particularly close with Frisk. She mainly could be spotted with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, when she wasn't bombarding everyone else with S.P.E.W. "Who's stupid?" she asked.

"Harry and Ron. They're refusing to talk to each other. Ron says its because Harry got his name in the Goblet, though he doesn't really believe that. He's really insulted that it took Harry an hour to get up to talk to him that night."

"That's not Harry's fault," Frisk said. "I thought just about all of Gryffindor was trapping him in the common room."

"Right. Harry's mad because Ron went after him when he finally did escape," Hermione said. "Like I said it's, ugh!" Hermione made a disgusted face. "It's idiotic!" Hermione exclaimed. "Frisk, you helped me make up with Ron, can you think of any way of fixing this?"

Frisk sighed. She couldn't get Opal to talk to her, but could she help, please, with _someone else's_ friendship problem? Frisk looked up at Hermione with tired, half-lidded eyes, not saying anything.

"Please?" Hermione asked. "You probably haven't seen what that nasty Skeeter woman wrote about him in the Prophet, but you've seen those new 'badges' that have shown up around the school, haven't you?"

She had. She'd spotted Opal wearing one. 'Potter Stinks'.

"And Gryffindor's convinced he put his name in, and he don't really want to compete. He doesn't want to admit it, but he needs his friend back. They both do." Hermione continued. "Please? I think you're the only one who believes him."

Frisk set her pen down. "Have you tried?" she asked quietly.

"I have! But they're both being so obstinate and idiotic!" the older girl cried in frustration.

"You're telling them that, aren't you?" Frisk asked. Hermione nodded, still frustrated. "Hermione, no one wants to be told they're being stupid, especially not like that. That's not going to change their minds."

Frisk pictured Ron, the way his bright orange soul shone in the underground. "You have to appeal to his nature. He wants to be brave and heroic," Frisk said, thinking. "You need to convince him that Harry's scared, even if he isn't. But considering how they're saying people were injured and killed in the previous tournaments, I'll bet he is."

Hermione was leaning forward, appearing to be deep in thought herself.

"If you could get Harry to offer to trade places with Ron," Frisk said. "making sure he knows exactly what it all entails. As for Harry himself, get him to understand exactly what Ron's going through."

"I've told Harry that Ron's jealous," Hermione said.

"But really spell it out," Frisk suggested. "He's had, what, three older brothers that were all prefects. One works with dragons, another in the ministry, he feels he's overlooked by everyone. Maybe remind Harry of times Ron was there for him?"

"I think those sound like good ideas," Hermione said. Frisk was about to resume work on her star chart when Hermione spoke up again. "Do you think we could roleplay this? I'll help you finish that up first, if you want."

"Sure," Frisk told her, smiling. "And then, maybe you could help me with Opal."

* * *

That Saturday, Frisk, Chara, and Asriel met McGonagall outside her office after Transfiguration, rather than waiting with the other older students waiting to enjoy a Hogsmeade weekend. Also unlike last time, Frisk had told her friends where she was going. There was a bit of jealousy, but they were more jealous (and a bit worried) of them having a diplomatic dinner with the centaurs, as nobody knew what that was going to be like.

To Frisk's surprise, it wasn't just Mom and Dad who met them at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, but just about everyone had also come along. Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, and even Sans had all come to join them for a day in Britain's only wizarding village.

"What are you all doing here?" Asriel asked, after Mom had gently disentangled herself from her son. "Are you all going to be coming with us to meet the centaurs?"

" **No,** " Papyrus said, smiling at them all. " **We have come to experience the first task of the Tri-wizard tournament! It sounds very exciting!** "

"And to see you kiddos!" Undyne said, grinning widely. "You know, as long as we were coming up here anyway," she winked. "Besides, you didn't think you were going to escape training all the way to Christmas, did you?"

"Ye-es, it sounds like you could use the company," Alphys said, smiling slightly.

" **Oh! We're also here to...** "

"Papyrus!" exclaimed Alphys, her yellow cheekscales tinting red slightly. "Not unless we get it approved. Which isn't until later."

"Wait, what's going on?" Frisk asked.

"eh, i wouldn't worry about it, frisk," Sans said, winking. "Papyrus and alphys are chomping at the bit to make a sales pitch," he told her. This caused Alphys to turn even more red.

"That's enough," Asgore rumbled, smiling. "Now, I've heard a lot about 'Honeydukes', why don't we go take a look?"

The candy store was just as fun to walk through as it was the first time she'd been in there, and as they went there first this time, it was far more stocked. From there, they went to look at the Shrieking Shack. That was still a bit boring, but the point was still having time to spend with family she hadn't seen in two months.

Hogsmeade itself hadn't changed much in the year or so that Frisk had been in it last, though it was a lot busier. Apparently, a lot of people were in town for the Triwizard festivities, and not all of them were human. Frisk thought she'd spotted a hag, and possibly a vampire. There were a few monsters, too. She thought she had seen the two editors for the Snowdin paper coming out of the bookstore, and that had definitely been Snowdrake and his father heading into the Three Broomsticks.

They had gone there themselves for lunch. The fish and chips were just as good as she remembered it (though this time around, Toriel has preemptively taken the ketchup bottle away from Sans). In the back, she spotted Hermione talking with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, so she must have gotten the two boys back on speaking terms.

" **But how are you doing, friend Frisk**?" Papyrus asked, shocking her back to the present.

"Oh, " Frisk said, "I'm okay, I guess."

Chara and Asriel both protested this comment. "You've been down since Opal stopped speaking to you," Chara told her, indigently.

Frisk's grip tightened on the bag of candy she'd purchased. She'd thought maybe bribery would calm Opal down. Or maybe the story of the centaurs. "Yeah, I have been. This tri-wizard tournaments been no better than the Quidditch World Cup for bringing people together.

Papyrus opened his mouth to speak, but Alphys shut him down with a dark look.

A looming shadow cast over their table interrupted them. Frisk looked up. "Oh! This is Professor Hagrid, he teaches Care of Magical Creatures," she said to her family and friends. "Uh, Professor Hagrid, this is my mom, Toriel..." and went around the table. "That man behind him is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody."

"I jest wanted ta wish ye luck," Hagrid said. "Dumbledore told me what yer doing tonight. The centaurs keep te themselves mostly, so I hope ye might pull them out of their shell," he looked at Asriel, who wilted slightly under the huge man's gaze. "They're going ta be envious, you know."

"I know," confirmed Asgore. "But we wish to be part of the magical world. It comes with responsibilities as well as benefits." His voice stumbled slightly. Mad Eye Moody's magical eye had very visibly wandered over a few tables behind them, leaving him rather profoundly cross-eyed.

Moody whispered something to Hagrid before stepping forward himself. "All I can tell you I'm sure you already know. Centaurs are fiercely independent creatures. I'd recommend against suggesting that you 'serve' humans. Or that they should."

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Moody," Asgore promised.

"What about my little students?" Toriel asked. "Are they doing well in your class?"

Moody gave his short, barking, laugh. "I'll say they are," he pointed a scarred finger at Frisk. "This young lady was one of the few people to be completely able to throw off the imperius curse. Oh, don't look at me that way. The headmaster wanted them to know what it felt like in a safe environment. Mr. Asriel and Ms. Chara are performing admirably as well." Frisk wasn't sure if it meant anything or not, but Moody's magical eye had been focused on Chara during that.

"Ech," Hagrid said, glancing down the pub, "I'd like to say hi to Harry before I leave, good day to yeh all."

"Have a good day, Professor," Asriel said, waving.

"They seem to be good people," Undyne said, as Moody also took his leave. "You said that one had experience fighting dark wizards? I wonder what that would be like!"

"Not like you're expecting, Undyne," Chara said. "It's not like your anime."

Asgore paid the tab, and they went to walk around a bit more before evening. Frisk walked next to the smaller skeleton. "Hey, Sans? You okay? You've been quiet."

" **Sans has been very busy! He is working on a project of his own!"**

"eh, you know me. i work my fingers to the bone."

Toriel and the three children laughed, while Papyrus gave a distraught wail. "What have you been working on?" Frisk asked.

"an old project," Sans told her. "something i promised i'd get back too. thought i'd be working on it more this weekend, but torii suggested i come spend it with everyone. couldn't say no." He winked.

Frisk tried to get to get Sans to talk about it some more, thinking it had to do with that Gaster letter, but he stayed silent, and she didn't want to bring that up in front of the others. They went for another walk, but all too quickly it was time for Undyne, Alphys, and the skeleton brothers to head for their own accommodations. Toriel, too, stopped to pick up some bags she'd left in her room.

The Dreemurr family had dinner reservations in the Forbidden Forest, and it wouldn't do to be late.


	14. Centaur Diplomacy

Apparently, what Mom had brought was a change of clothes. Asriel, Frisk, and Chara all changed into shirts and trousers, the shirts had a very visible delta rune. His was purple, Chara's was green, and Frisk's was blue. When he asked Dad for an explanation, Asgore told him he didn't want to flaunt their acceptance into wizarding society.

Which made sense. Robes had never felt quite right on fur, anyway.

Saying goodbye to their other monster friends, Asriel and his family set out for the Dark Forest, located on the other side of the Hogwarts ground.

"How are are we going to find them?" Chara asked. "The Forbidden forest is pretty big."

"According to the invitation," Toriel told her, "There's going to be someone waiting for us at the outskirts of the Forest. Forenzie?"

"I think I remember a **Fir** enzie," Asriel said, remembering the blond-haired centaur that had apparently spoken in favor of them. He glanced at Frisk and Chara, who nodded. They passed the Three Broomsticks again. They were just in time to see the same woman who'd accosted outside the Minister's office come out, looking around for something, or someone.

Toriel scowled in her direction, which was an unusual expression on her face, and sped up her pace to avoid her. The rest of them had to hurry to keep up. "What's going on?" asked Frisk.

"You haven't been reading the nasty things that woman has been saying about Hogwarts students. She hasn't gone after any of you yet, but I think she will," Toriel told them. "In the Daily Prophet," she clarified.

Asgore detoured around Hogwarts and towards the Dark Forest. They didn't see any other students on the way, it must have been past time for them to go in. As the grassy plains of the village outskirts turned to thickening trees, their pace slowed, and all five of them began looking around for their guide.

"Here, friends!" called a voice from slightly deeper in the forest. There was the slight clop of hoof on hard packed dirt as the blond, clean shaven centaur passed through the final trees. He was wearing a leather tunic on his upper body, and his hair had been tied back into a ponytail. Asriel grinned slightly at the thought, he'd have to share it with Mom later.

"You're Firenzie?" Asgore rumbled, stepping in front of the group, holding out his hand to shake.

The centaur gave a brief acknowledging bow before approaching Asgore to shake his head. "I am. You would be Asgore Dreemurr, correct?" He gave a warm smile, and turned to look at the others.

"This is my wife, Toriel," Asgore said, pointing an open palm at her. "And these are my children. Frisk, Asriel, and Chara." As they were introduced, they each stepped forward, and gave an awkward bow.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Firenzie said. "If you will follow me, please, I will take you to our camp. I know Magorian is interested in meeting the King and Queen of the Monsters." He set off at a trot. While Toriel and Asgore could keep up with him reasonably easily, Asriel and his sisters had to jog slightly to keep up.

"I hope your day has gone well," Asgore said.

"It has, your highness," Firenzie said. "The centaur herd has eschewed most contact with the outside world for generations," his eyes brightened, and he turned to study Asgore. "I hope this is a sign of things to come."

Asgore smiled. "I hope so as well, but please, Asgore is fine. Mr. Dreemurr if you're really feeling formal." They continued into the forest, making small talk, as the shadows grew around them, until Asgore asked. "What's your position in the herd, Firenzie?"

"I am a teacher," he began. Toriel stopped so suddenly that Asriel, walking next to her, stumbled nearly falling over a protruding root. "I teach the foals how to meditate, how to watch the stars, and how they may glimpse portents of the future."

"I've always wanted to be a teacher," Toriel said. "Though I prefer biology, botany and zoology. And the other sciences, or mathematics..." Asgore put a knowing hand on his wife's shoulder. Toriel took a deep breath, and calmed a bit. "I'm sorry, I can get excited."

Firenzie's already broad smile broadened even further. "That is quite alright, Ms. Toriel, but if you look just over there, we have arrived."

The forest widened into a large clearing. There were shelters. In some, Asriel could see fires, with black smoke curling around drying meat. On the other side of the clearing, just as the forest was starting to thicken again, he could see what must have been sleeping shelters. And, of course, there were the centaurs themselves, male and female, young and old. There were probably a bit more than thirty of them. Most of them looked unkempt, with windswept hair, and the males sporting long scraggly beards. In the center of the clearing was a single long table, loaded with, if not the wide variety of food he'd been seeing at Hogwarts, at least a rival in quantity.

"Wait," Chara whispered. "I don't see any chairs. Where are we supposed to sit?"

But they fell silent, the larger of the two black haired centaurs they'd seen in the clearing had approached. He was wearing a leather tunic, similar to the one Ferenzie was wearing. Like most of his brethren, he wore his black hair loose, and his dark eyes studied them intently. "May I introduce the chief of our herd, Magorian," Firenzie said.

Magorian, gave a small bow. "Thank you, Firenzie," he said.

"Magorian," Asgore repeated. "I am Asgore, and this is my family." He went around again, introducing them all in turn. "We're honored you've invited us to dine with you tonight."

"And I am pleased you have accepted," he said formally. He looked behind him as a female centaur and a foal both cantered up next to him. "This is my wife, Gundara." Gundara, judging from the human-ish upper body, was in her early-to-middle age. "And my son, Dubran." Like both his parents, Dubran had dark, thick, black hair and dark attentive eyes. Those eyes bored into Asriel, looking simultaneously excited and afraid.

"But please, come. Dinner will have finished cooking, you will be at the head at the table with us." So saying, Magorian turned toward the table, and began to walk toward it. Asgore stepped toward the table, realized there was nowhere for him to sit, and looked at Magorian's back. He appeared to be trying to work out if this was a deliberate test.

Toriel was more straightforward. "My apologies Magorian," she said, causing him to turn back towards her. "But my children and I have a had long day. I hope I am not rude in asking if you might have chairs for us, or we might be even more rude and fall down in the middle of dinner."

To Asriel's relief, Magorian seemed to take this at face value. "I understand," though it didn't completely sound like he approved. He made eye contact with another centaur, nodded once, and waited. The centaurs returned a few moments with wooden chairs for the five of them. They looked somewhat crude, but perfectly functional. They were placed near head of the table.

Toriel sat next to Gundara on one side of the table, with Frisk and then Chara on her left. Asgore sat just on Magorian's right, with Asriel on his other side. To Asriel's right stood Dubran. The downside of these chairs was that they placed them significantly lower than the centaurs. Though, on the other hand, the Centaurs were much taller them even when standing, so maybe there wasn't that much of a difference.

Dinner was 'venison', a fancy way of deer meat. It had a smokey flavor that Asriel wasn't sure if he liked or not. There was also some kind of stew, a forest berry that he didn't recognize, washed down with what must have been river water. The food was served in wooden plates and bowls, and the only utensils were wooden spoons. Eating with one's fingers was uncomfortable. Looking up and down the table, Asriel could see that his family was somewhat uncomfortable, but no one wanted to offend the centaurs further.

When they were mostly done, Magorian clunked a spoon against his cup. "How did you take your meal, my guests?" he asked. Asriel was aware that the table had gone mostly silent, they were all listening to them.

"It went well, my gracious host," Asgore said, smiling up to him.

"I enjoyed it," agreed Toriel. "But one good turn deserves another, does it not?" she reached into her bag, pulling out a large metal tin. "I was going to bring pies, but my husband wisely suggested it might be difficult to bring a large enough pie for the entire herd. She opened the tin, revealing a rather large amount of what Asriel recognized to be cinnamon cookies with butterscotch chips, she offered the tin to Magorian, who seemed to regard it warily. Eventually, he did reach in, select one of the cookies, and bite into it.

"Hm," he said. "I haven't had anything like this before. Is this your creation?"

"It's my recipe," confirmed Toriel.

"What goes into such a... biscuit?" he asked. Toriel began to explain, but Magorian cut her off only after a few ingredients. "We do not trade with humans, we hunt and gather all the food we need. Still, I thank you for this unusual treat." The tin was passed around the centaur herd, eventually landing back in front of Toriel, with its contents mostly gone.

"Now, Firenzie has asked if might regale us with tale of our past," he said, indicating the other centaur, siting further down the table. It was a story of the founding of the tribe, and under other conditions Asriel would have thought it interesting, but with the combination of the meal and distracting environment, found it hard to focus on. At least there wasn't going to be a quiz.

"Perhaps," Firenzie said, after it was finished. "You might be willing to repay us with a story of your own? I am sure we would all be interested in hearing how you escaped from the barrier, keeping your kind underground."

"That is Frisk's story, as much as anyone's," Asgore said. "Frisk? Would you mind telling us what happened when you fell down Mt. Ebott?"

Frisk nodded. She had to kneel on the chair to be seen in the crowd, but she did it. Asriel had heard the story before, and thus caught the fact that she wasn't telling it completely truthfully. But it was probably better to leave out the time traveling elements.

"What I do not understand," Magorian said, "Is that you said the Undertale itself was how Asriel and Chara died to human treachery. But they sit right here."

Everyone was a bit uncomfortable at that question. "I apologize," Asgore said, "But we, as a family, have agreed with the ministry's Department of Mysteries that the details must remain private."

"What?" Magorian asked intently. "You consider yourself subservient to humans? Are you some type of slave, like a house-elf?"

Asriel could tell his father was set to respond in anger, but a hard look from Toriel kept him quiet. "My children, Asriel and Chara, would not be sitting here today if it wasn't for human magic," Toriel said, firmly. She turned from Asriel, to Frisk, to Chara, before landing on Dubran. The look in her eyes told Asriel she wasn't any less angry about the accusation than Asgore was, she was just containing it better. "If the price was to keep it quiet, than I'm proud to have paid it."

Magorian's expression was displeased, but he didn't press it further. There was awkward silence for a few seconds.

"Father," Dubran said, taking advantage of the pause in the conversation. "May I be excused?"

Magorian's face softened. "Go ahead, Dubran, perhaps you can show the young monsters around."

Asriel glanced up at his father. Asgore smiled at him and nodded, and with Frisk and Chara, went to tag along with Dubran. Many of the other centaurs had also left to various camp jobs.

"What's it like?" Dubran asked as they left the table, "At Hogwarts?"

"It's a school," Asriel said.

"I've only been taught by the Centaurs of my tribe. You're taught by others, that's what Firenzie told me. What's it like living away from home?"

So Asriel, Frisk, and Chara told him all about living at Hogwarts, from the classes they were taking, to the professors themselves, as well as their sleeping arrangements. "I would like to visit sometime, but Father said humans aren't trustworthy."

"I'm sure the groundskeeper," Chara began, "What was his name?"

"Hagrid," Frisk told her.

"Right, I'll bet Hagrid could arrange a time to visit," she said.

They toured the sleeping quarters. though, he explained that on clear nights, many centaurs preferred to sleep under the stars. "What do you do on your free time?" the centaur asked, as they headed elsewhere.

"I love flying, I'd do it all day if I could," Chara said.

"We also play a lot of cards," Asriel said. "We've been thinking about trying to bring in of Dad's board games. Uh, sorry. What about you, Dubran? What do you do with your time?"

"Dad has me learning to shoot a bow and arrow, and how to track game in the forest. But when I'm not doing that, I love listening to Firenzie's stories."

"Don't you do anything with other people?" Frisk asked.

Dubran's face looked sad. "There's not a lot of other foals here, and those that there are think of me as the chief's son, and are careful not to say anything around me. When I practice shooting, I always win, because people don't want to beat me."

"I understand," said Asriel, much to Dubran's obvious surprise. "I'm the king's son. When we were still in the underground, people would avoid me for the same reason. It wasn't the best day of her life, but the day Chara fell into the underground might have been the best day of mine."

"Well, it turned out pretty well, in the long run," Chara said, giving a half smile.

"You know," Asriel said, "I've never shot a bow an arrow. Would you like to show us?"

Dubran looked ecstatic, and practically dragged them over to the archery range, on one side of the forest clearing. Frisk looked uncomfortable, but went along with it anyway. "Here," he said, thrusting a bow into the monster's hands, and then taking one for himself. "Line yourself up with the target, and relax your grip,"

Asriel's first arrow went roughly two feet, but they kept trying, and after about five or six tries, he managed to get one at least in the vicinity of the target. "Would you like to try, Chara?" he asked.

Chara took her turn as well, and Asriel could see that at least part of the problem was that Dubran had trained with, well, four hooves. That is, the bows were much too large for them for used on the ground. Chara was just about to try to get Frisk to take her shots when they were interrupted by shouts coming from the dinner table.

"You are," Magorian declared. "You will be subservient to the humans, living under them, taking the scraps they choose to dole out."

"No!" insisted Asgore. "As equals! Magorian! You cannot live in the world and live apart from it!"

"Then we shall agree," Magorian said loudly, and coldly, "To disagree. I do not believe we have anything left to talk about. Firenzie, see them gone."

Toriel stood. "Magorian, Gundara," she said, "I would like to thank you for dinner. We would love to welcome you into our home, some day." She looked around, "Children? It is time!" Chara, Asriel, Dubran and Frisk all walked over to Toriel. Clearly, the diplomacy had not gone as anyone would have liked.

"When can I see you again?" Dubran asked Asriel's mother.

Asriel saw a brief frown of recognition pass over Frisk's face, and the furrowed eyebrows made him think she'd heard that somewhere before, but Toriel knelt down, so she could look at Dubran at eye level. "That depends on your father, young Dubran. Did you enjoy spending time with my children?"

He shook his head affirmatively. "Very much so."

"Then I hope it will be soon," Toriel said. "But for now, I must return the children to their school."

There were tears in the centaur's eyes. Asriel wanted nothing more to give the larger centaur a hug, but he knew better. He reached out and took his hand instead. Frisk must have been thinking along similar lines, because she held both arms out. But Dubran only shook her hand as well, and then Chara's. With last goodbyes, they turned to follow Firenzie. Asriel risked a glance behind them as the forest moved to swallow them up. Dubran was staring at them from the edge of the clearing. Asriel waved, and Dubran waved back.

And then Asriel could no longer see him.

"That was disappointing," Asgore rumbled. "I'm sorry Firenzie."

"Don't worry about it," Firenzie said, philosophically. "We try things. Sometimes they even work. But just because we fail doesn't mean we stop trying. My chief wishes to prove that we are 'better' than humans. How is that so different from what he thinks they are doing to us?"

"Well said, sir," Toriel said. They walked in silence for a little bit, lost in thought. After a while, they could see the groundskeeper's cabin in the distance. They approached it, with the centaur in the lead, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the accented voice of Hagrid. "We've been expecting you." Firenzie opened it. Both Hagrid and Dumbledore sat inside, enjoying a flagon of some beverage. "Hey there, Firenzie, good to see yeh," Hagrid told him, raising his cup.

"And Mister and Miss Dreemurr," said Dumbledore, tipping his head. "It is good to see you all. Did it go well?"

"Not particularly, Mister Dumbledore," said Asgore.

"Come in, why don't yeh, and have some tea, if yeh'd like," Hagrid told them. "Or some brandy, if you'd prefer, and tell us about it. You're welcome to stay as well, Firenzie, you're always welcome here."

"Thank you, Hagrid," Firenzie said.

After changing back into their school robes in Hagrid's washroom, they played with Fang for a while, listening to their parents tell their story, when Asriel interrupted them with a yawn. He covered his mouth, embarrassed.

"Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked politely, "Will you see them back up to the castle?"

"It's about time for us to turn in as well," Toriel told them. "We'll be staying to see the Triwizard task on Tuesday, though."

"Then I shall walk you out," Dumbledore said.

They said their good nights, and carrying a large bag of sweets each (from their earlier trip to Hogsmeade), they headed back up to the castle, and eventually, the Gryffindor common room.


	15. Dealing with Dragons

Frisk woke up late the next morning, and she didn't really want to get up. The memory of the failed diplomacy visit with the Forbidden Forest centaurs was still fresh in her mind. It hadn't been her fault, she knew that, she hadn't even wanted to be a human ambassador. But both her parents and Dumbledore had sounded so dejected last night, and it carried over. Between that, and the school still being on edge from this whole Triwizard thing, sounded like a pretty good reason to stay in bed. But her stomach convinced her to get up anyway.

When she finally did get up, she made her way through the common room, where it seemed a few people were preparing a rally for the Gryffindor School Champion, and headed down to the find the last dregs of breakfast being eaten. Ginny was sitting next to Hermione, and Frisk sat down next to her other side. Luna appeared a minute or later, just in time to see Hermione get dragged off by Harry Potter. He must have been wanting to practice something for the Triwizard task that was coming up that week.

"Hey," Ginny asked eagerly. "How did it go last night?"

Frisk sighed, staring moodily down at her plate, the remains of scrambled eggs and toast. "It could have gone better," she said, and went on to tell her all about the previous night. She tried to force herself to have another bite of toast, but suddenly wasn't feeling hungry.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ginny said, but didn't add anything. Frisk wasn't sure if there was anything to add. "Want to go flying today? I think your siblings were interested!" Ginny asked.

Truth be told, Frisk didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even them. "Thanks for the offer, Ginny," Frisk said. "But I owe Ms. Pomfrey some of my time. I'm going to go see her afterward."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

"She's not," Luna said. "But she could use some time to think."

Frisk blinked at her. How did Luna understand Frisk better than Frisk did? But she was right, and Frisk was grateful for it. So she smiled back at Ginny, "Luna's right, and I'm sure. You both have some fun. Oh! Did you go to Hogsmeade yesterday?"

"We did," Ginny confirmed, and Frisk felt her heart sink. "Well," she said, putting on her brave face. "Maybe we can meet up with the others and share something with O... Steve, I mean," she said, catching herself, but she could feel her face trying to betray her.

Ginny looked about to say something, but thought better of it. She stood, and let herself be dragged away by Luna towards the main door. Chara and Asriel must have been out there already. But that was okay, they should have a good time too.

Frisk was really hoping there would be someone she could help in the hospital wing when she arrived, something to take her mind off everything that was going on in her life, and the castle. But when she got there, the only person there was Madam Pomfrey. And that probably meant supply checks and sheet changing.

They chatted aimlessly as they did so, but for the first time since she'd taken this upon herself, Frisk was just going through the motions. It wasn't something she really wanted to do, but something she felt she had to do.

Her listlessness wasn't lost on Madam Pomfrey, who after about half an hour, was extremely direct. "What's wrong, Frisk? You're normally the most cheerful person I see all week, but today you've hardly said a word."

Frisk tried to fake a smile and an insistence that everything was fine, but her heart wasn't in it, The healer wasn't buying it, either, she put her hands on her hips and gave Frisk the stare that was usually reserved for students trying to mask some sort of injury or pain. She didn't even have to say anything to have Frisk wilt under her gaze.

"It was the centaurs," Frisk said finally, and, for the second time that day, told the story of the previous day's failed diplomacy. "I know it's not my fault, but," her voice faltered, and she looked at Madam Pomfrey with half lidded eyes, "but I wish had gone better."

Madam Pomfrey, looked at her with sympathy. "I can understand that. You don't have to be here, you know. You're volunteering, and I don't really need the help today. Go spend some time with your friends."

"But Opal's not speaking with me," Frisk said, the words slipping out before she could stop them. Frisk turned scarlet, looking down at the bed. She hadn't wanted to admit that it was bothering her. It had been nearly three weeks since Harry Potter's name had come out of the goblet, and the wounds still felt fresh.

"Opal? The Hufflepuff?" Madam Pomfrey asked in surprise. Frisk nodded. "You two were inseparable last year, and she was here when you brought young Chara, wasn't she?" Frisk looked at her, not saying anything, not able to say anything. She was afraid she was going to break into treats.

"What happened?" the healer asked.

"The goblet of fire," Frisk responded. "Opal is so competitive, she blamed Gryffindor for Harry stealing their thunder, and I've only seen her in Herbology since then, and she won't say anything to me," Frisk sighed. "I miss her."

"Have you asked your other friends to talk to her for you?" Pomfrey prodded.

"I have, but I never hear anything back. I don't know if she's avoiding them, too."

Pomfrey looked at her, but let the matter drop. When they finished, she was prepared to shoo Frisk out. "There's really nothing more for you to do here today, Frisk. Go spend some time with your friends. I'd like to go for a walk myself."

Frisk was shocked, less by Madam Pomfrey wanting to leave the hospital wing (which had to happen, now that Frisk thought about it) then Frisk being asked to leave. Usually the healer wanted to keep people in, and they had to argue that they were well enough to return to classes. This was the first time Frisk had seen anyone ordered out. "Are you sure?" Frisk asked cautiously.

"Go outside, Frisk," Pomfrey insisted. "I'll ask a house elf to watch the wing while I'm gone. In fact," she said, disappearing in to her office. After a minute or so, she came out again. "I'll walk with you." She opened the door, and herded Frisk out of the hospital wing.

They walked together down the corridor, through the great hall, and out into the cool late November sun. Frisk, giving up, headed to join her friends at the broom closet, while Madam Pomfrey turned toward the greenhouses.

The others were clearly aware of Frisk coming to join them, as she was given a thrilling, "Catch, Frisk!" turned to look, and just barely got her hands in front of her face quickly enough to not eat a quaffle.

"Sorry, Frisk," Asriel said apologetically. "But I'm glad you came out here! C'mon, let's go!"

Frisk looked up at her siblings, Ginny, and even Luna and Steven looking down at her. She hurled the quaffle straight back up as hard as she could, and went to get her broom to join in. And there was something to having to focus on keeping herself aloft, as well as the quaffle that they were throwing around that made it hard for Frisk to remember how upset she'd been feeling.

They went in for lunch, commiserating over centaur bullheadedness (Frisk had to remember to write that one down. Mom would love it). It wasn't until she spotted Harry that Frisk even asked about Opal. But nobody had talked to her, and she wasn't in the great hall to approach, and Frisk's mood began to fall again. They stayed, playing exploding snap, until Luna decided she had homework she needed to do, and they slowly went their separate ways. Chara and Asriel went up to the common room, Frisk was going to go to the library to study, but Harry and Hermione were there, as was Vicktor Krum and a group of hangers on.

Frisk ended up going back to the Great Hall, and trying to finish a star chart among the talking and laughing students, and mostly failing until dinner. Though Asriel reported trying to do work in the Gryffindor common room wasn't really any better.

* * *

Monday after dinner presented Frisk with the same unlikely choices, the library was overly crowded, the common room was a wealth of discussion about the next day's task. Frisk actually found the quietest place to study was, again, the great hall. It was even less crowded than it had been the previous day, so Frisk was able to claim the end of the Gryffindor table, and spread her charms work over it. She had been working on it long enough that she was beginning to head up to the common room for curfew, when she became aware that someone had sat down across from her.

The person was a well built older student, with dark brown hair, and sharp grey eyes. His was also tall, a good deal taller than Frisk. He was wearing the golden scarf of a member of Hufflepuff house. He was also wearing a prefect badge. But Frisk had no idea who he was. "Hello?" she said.

"Hello," he told her, and he was smiling. It was a warm smile, and it reached his eyes."I'm Cedric Diggory. You're Frisk, right?"

Frisk sat up a little straighter. Her first thought was that this was the other school champion, but then she corrected herself. This was the first school champion, Harry was the other one. "That's me," Frisk said. "Can I help you?" she asked, not knowing why Cedric had chosen to introduce himself to her.

"Actually," he said, "I came because I thought I could help you."

"Help me?" Frisk looked down at her charms book puzzled. She didn't need help with...

"Not with your school work, Frisk," Cedric said, his eyebrows raising slightly. "I've a friend who wants to talk to you." Frisk looked up suddenly, there, off to the side, stood the embarrassed form of Opal Oxtoby.

"Opal!" Frisk said, too stunned to stand.

"Go ahead, Opal," Cedric told her.

"I, I want to apologize," Opal stammered. "It wasn't fair to equate all of Gryffindor for Harry's name coming out of the Goblet." Her eyes darted to the floor before meeting Frisk's again. "And I apologize for what I said in Herbology, in the end, the Triwizard tournament is just a competition." Her eyes darted to the floor again. "It's not important enough to lose friends over. Can you..."

Frisk had stood and embraced Opal before she had stopped speaking. "Of course I can. I've missed you." Opal turned slightly pink, but hugged her friend back, and they both could hear Cedric chuckling, so they disentangled themselves. Frisk wanted to know what caused the change of heart, but wasn't about to ask.

"I'll let you two talk," Cedric said, smiling again. "Oh, and Opal, don't get mad if she cheers for Harry tomorrow. He's a good bloke that did me a favor this morning." He nodded at Frisk. "But I'd like it if you could cheer for both of us."

And they did talk, about Centaurs, Quidditch, and the last few weeks. If Frisk had to guess, Opal had been missing her group as much as her group was missing her, but hadn't known how to apologize. Maybe they'd roleplayed it. They talked until Cedric pointed out that curfew was in about five minutes, and they should head back to their common rooms.

Frisk started picking up her charms work, while Opal stood. "See you tomorrow, Frisk?"

"They may be cutting classes short, but we do still have Herbology," Frisk said grinning. "I will see you then," she put her book in her pack. Opal looked at her, then gave her a second quick embrace. "Good night Opal." She looked at the older Hufflepuff, "And Cedric? Thank you."

Cedric inclined his head, and stood himself to shake Frisk's hand. "I didn't know you went out to see the centaurs, that's something I wish I could do. I wish it went better, but good night, Frisk." They walked toward the stairs, Frisk heading up, Opal and Cedric heading down. Was it her imagination, or was Opal blushing even harder now? Did her friend have a crush on Cedric? Smiling to herself, Frisk continued to climb toward Gryffindor tower. That would explain a lot.

* * *

The next day was Tuesday, and after their morning classes, there was a rush back up to the tower to put school supplies away, then back down to the grounds, with only a brief stop by the great hall to grab a sandwich to take with them. Professor Hagrid was there, after he checked your name from a list, to route the Gryffindors into a large tent, from there it was a scramble to find seats. One large section had already been filled with non-students. Frisk thought she saw people she recognized from Hogsmeade, and she definitely saw monsters among them. The other side of the tent was an extremely large large opening, with several wizards moving among them.

"Frisk!" came a shout from up the stands, she spotted Opal, climbed the stands to next to her, and soon was joined by Steven on her other side. Ginny and Luna crowded in above them, Chara and Asriel next to them. "Opal!" Ginny exclaimed, "You're here!"

"Is that alright?" Opal asked.

"Welcome back!" Steven said firmly. "Even if it means doing laps around the castle on Saturday again." That got them laughing. "What do you think is coming through there?" he asked, pointing at the opening.

"Dragons!" Asriel said, excitedly. "There's going to be dragons!"

"What?" Steven asked in shock, "How do you know that?"

"He's right," Chara said, "Look!"

Being moved into the enclosure, slowly, was an unrestrained, bluish-gray, very large, dragon. Frisk stared at it, she'd known dragons existed for some time now, but she'd only seen them in books. And books, in no way, did them justice. It took commentator Bagman to point out there was a single large golden egg for the first champion to collect.

"And that first champion is here, Cedric Diggory!" A roar went up through the crowd. Frisk joined in. So did everyone else, as far as she could tell. It was no longer champions against each other, it was this lone student against a dragon. Madam Pomfrey was here somewhere, right?

Cedric's first try was some sort of simple charm, directed at the egg itself. " **Now that's not going to work,** " came the magically enhanced voice of Bagman, " **A summoning charm on the egg? It's not going to be that easy, Mr. Diggory!** "

Cedric tried a few other things, but in the end, he resorted to what everyone in Frisk's group agreed was a neat bit of transfiguration work. He aimed at a large rock sitting in the middle of the enclosure, and transfigured it into a dog used to bait and distract the dragon, allowing him to sneak in and grab the egg. But the dragon realized what he was up to, and he didn't quite dodge the dragon's flaming breath as he tried to escape with his prize. There was a unified gasp of horror, and Frisk could feel Opal clutching at her. But Cedric was still on his feet, fleeing as fast as he could off the dragon's platform. When he did, wizards moved in to re-restrain the dragon.

As Cedric went to the healer to be patched up, the dragon's platform was magically moved out, and replaced by another, equally impressive dragon. "Do you think we'll get a chance to see them afterward," Opal said loudly, to be heard over the croud, once Fleur finished her task by using some sort of sleeping charm.

"Not sure," Frisk said. Frisk wasn't sure she wanted to, either. But she was sure that if they were available, she was going to be dragged over there by Opal... and Asriel and Chara. And they did. They were talking about all four of the performances. Everyone had pros and cons about all four of them, the one thing everyone absolutely agreed on was that it had been a missed opportunity to see Krum in the air.

The dragon enclosures were mobbed with people, students and non-students alike. and they had to fight to get close looks at the Chinese Fireball, and Welsh Green. Apparently dragons were a pretty uncommon sight in the wizard world too.

At the Hungarian Horntail, the biggest and angriest looking of the lot, they found Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus gawking as well. Sans was there too, but he was leaning against a tree. His eyelights were out, and Frisk could hear him snoring."Aren't they fantastic?" Undyne asked. "I want to ride one!" Everyone turned to look at her, in a mixture of admiration, shock, and terror.

"That's one of your friends, right?" Steven asked.

" **Hey! There's Frisk! Hello, little friend!"** Papyrus exclaimed at about the same time. Frisk waved, and they came over to her.

"Oh, h-h-hi Frisk," Alphys said, pushing up her spectacles. "Toriel and Asgore are around here somewhere. "But aren't these dragons amazing? They're like something out of anime!" she said turning back to look up at the dragon. "And weren't the champions amazing?"

"They were," Chara said. "I hope they're all alright." Frisk was pretty sure they were. They had all been at the judging table afterward, anyway.

They talked more, and walked over to see the Sweedish Short-Snout. "Wait," said Opal, stopping in her tracks. Sans was in front of them, leaning against a tree, snoring away. "Wasn't he behind us?"

"Don't try to figure Sans out," Frisk advised. "You'll get a headache. Nobody knows how he does it."

" **Alphys** ," Papyrus said, but Alphys was staring at the dragon again. Frisk could see her visibly sweating. " **Dr. Alphys!** " Papyrus exclaimed, " **There is Professor Dumbledore! We wanted to talk to him! With the very large human!"**

Alphys muttered something that sounded like, "I'm good, Papyrus, you can talk to him."

" **None of that! It was your idea!** " Papyrus said, taking Alphys's arm.

Undyne laughed, and grabbed Alphys's other arm, and between them they bodily dragged Alphys off in the direction of Professor Hagrid and the headmaster. Everyone stared at them, but Dumbledore greeted them, apparently politely. They talked for a minute or so, with Alphys making some excited gestures. Then all four of them walked in the direction of the castle, leaving Hagrid to go look at the dragons himself. One of Sans's eyelights blinked on, and wandered in Papyrus's direction. The other eyelight ignited, and he winked at Frisk, then stalked off to follow them.

"What was that all about?" Frisk wondered aloud.

"I've no idea," said Asriel, staring after them.

"It's getting late," Chara said. "And I'm willing to bet Fred and George will have a party going in the common room again."

"We'll be having one, too," Opal nodded, and they began to head back toward the castle as well. "See you tomorrow!"


	16. But nobody fell?

"So, why did you have to postpone last week?" Kurt asked. It was the end of November, and Sans and Kurt were back in the Underground. Sans was consulting his scanner, looking for a good place to set the machine back up.

"torii had invited us all up to hogwarts to visit the kiddos," Sans responded. "it was the first task of the triwizard as well, and alphys, undyne, and Papyrus all wanted to see the dragons. i'd have been the only person staying behind. couldn't do that."

"I'd forgotten the Triwizard was last weekend," Kurt admitted, wiping his brow. They were in Hotland this time around, and the region was appropriately named. They were within sight of 'The Core', the building that generated power for the underground. Kurt wasn't sure how, that was too much like Muggle technology. "How did that go, anyway? Hogwarts knock 'em dead?"

"krum and harry are tied, forty five points each," Sans said, his eyelights rotating around his eye sockets to peer at Kurt.

"Oh, right. I'd forgotten there was that mysterious second entrant. His name pops up a lot around the Prophesy division of the Department of Mysteries, as he was the boy who lived."

"the daily prophet doesn't think much about him," Sans said.

"Eh, I don't read it cover to cover," Kurt said. "Too much politics. Anyway, are we almost there? It's boiling down here."

"hm. we're close, i think," Sans said, consulting his device. "problem is, since we're going back in time, hotland will be pretty crowded," Sans thought about that for a moment. "was pretty crowded? well, whatever. got all the people who work at the mit resort, and all the people who work in the core. judging from last time, we won't land right on top of whatever we're looking for, so i'm thinking about where we should start."

That was an uncomfortable thought. Kurt had no real desire to get into a fight for his soul. It was one thing to investigate the past, but Kurt was more researcher than warrior. "How about the river?" he suggested. "Not right at the path, but a little beyond it, in the weeds, should give us a bit of privacy."

Sans looked over at the river, and contemplated it for a second. "huh. that's a good idea. we can hide the machine in some of the underbrush." So they did so. The earth near the river was muddy, and they went far enough away from the path that Kurt's shoes were rather coated by the end of it. After reassembling the delicate parts of the machine, and sitting down inside it, he used a warming spell to dry the mud and hit his shoes against each other to break most of it off.

To his bemusement and irritation, Sans, as far as he could tell, had no mud on his slippers. "How did you manage that?" Kurt asked. Sans just winked at him.

"oh, that reminds me," Sans said, he reached into a pocket, pulled out a slightly worn book, and handed to Kurt.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" Kurt asked.

"yep. you should read that," Sans told him, his eyelights glinting. "there's some excellent theoretical physics ideas in that."  
Kurt was pretty sure Sans was kidding, but it was hard to absolutely tell for sure. He put the book away and began to go over the machine's safety checks.

"so where are we going today, mister peabody," Sans asked nobody in particular.

"Don't you have your readings, Sans?" Kurt asked, "and who's Peabody?"

"for someone who works in time travel, you need more experience with fictional time travelers. how else can you set right what once went wrong?" Sans asked, his eyelights glowing with intensity.

"Mostly we don't interfere with time, that gets messy, and trust me. You do _not_ want to cause a paradox. Time would try to eat you alive. We're trying to retrieve things... pieces... whatever its you're looking for that don't actually belong in the time we're going to."

"i know, i know. i was only kidding. still," Sans continued, "if i painted the machine blue and shaped it like a police call box..."

"No, even I know about Doctor Who," Kurt complained. "I still like Tom Baker the best. And if you're set, we're good to go."

"oh good. we're all programmed," Sans said, double checking the numbers. "and we're off." He pressed the engage button. The machine reacted much like it did the last time, rumbling to light, with the area fading to white, before black, and back again. "think we're here."

"Whenever this is," Kurt said as he climbed out. This time, though, he could tell he was somewhere (somewhen?) new. The lights in the distance were from the MIT resort, off in what he considered the present, could be seen, barely. He could see monsters on the path leading to Waterfall, and hurriedly pulled out his invisibility cloak, wrapping it around him.

"guess the barrier isn't broken yet in this time line. hm. could be a problem." Sans said, consulting the device. "the piece we're looking for, it's up. a lot up. i think it's in the hotland apartment area. so be sure not step on anyone's toes."

It was interesting, as he followed Sans up into Hotland proper. It felt like Kurt was observing a normal monster day, people were on their way home for lunch, stopping to talk to friends. There was even what appeared to be a very small dragon having a hot dog... though the small plane hovering a good deal overhead was somewhat disconcerting.

They got to one of the Hotland elevators, the left one, and crowded in. Kurt had to sneak in behind Sans.

"Heya Sansy," said one monster, looking almost through Kurt at Sans. He looked like a male duck, if all his feathers had been combed outward to give the impression of a snowflake. "You performing this week?"

Sans stuck his hands in his pockets. "maybe? got so many jobs i can't always keep them all straight, drakey."

"You should focus a bit better, Sansy," the Drake told him.

Sans shrugged, putting his palms upward. "eh, who else isn't going to do all the things i already don't do?" The drake rolled his eyes. Sans got out, which meant Kurt had to very carefully pick his way off the elevator. Disillusionment only went so far, but as they weren't expecting to see a human, they didn't.

They walked along the elevated walkway, towards a large open area. Kurt could see small entrances to what must have been apartments. But "What are these?" Kurt asked. "Steam vents?" It's what they looked like, grates on the ground. Each was next to a black, featureless, tile.

Sans stopped so abruptly that Kurt almost bumped into him. "the puzzle isn't active. that shouldn't be right."

"What are you talking about," Kurt asked. "Puzzle?"

"eh, something meant to stall intruders long enough that the royal guards could come see what's going. humans specifically, since we needed them to break the barrier. the souls, at least."

Dumbledore had told Kurt about the barrier and how it was broken, but that didn't make what Sans had just said any easier to decipher. "So the puzzle's not on, means they haven't found me yet, right?" he asked. That seemed like a good thing.

"yeah, i guess so," Sans said, he looked around at a few monsters hanging out in the 'plaza'. "i wonder. scanner says this way."

So, they went 'that way'. East, maybe? At the end of another elevator walkway, Kurt stopped in shock. It looked like some sort of guard booth; it had a desk, there was a chair behind it (littered with ketchup packets), but what stopped Kurt was the fact there was snow on the roof. Snow. Unmelting, cold looking, powdery, snow. In the middle of the heat. "How is that possible?"

"what? oh. i just moved it from snowden," Sans told him, moving closer. "and i'm kinda glad i'm not here right now. this is my guardpost." He looked back up at Kurt and winked. "is it a paradox if we're from different timelines?"

"Deep question, I'll propose it to my coworkers tomorrow. Wait... you just moved it from Snowden? But..." but Sans wasn't listening to Kurt's protest of physical impossibilities, he was digging through the drawers on the other side of the booth, and underneath various condiments, he found what he was looking for, and held it up for Kurt to see.

"Another bony disembodied hand," Kurt said. "Another piece of the old scientist?"

"the man who talks in hands still watches from outside," Sans said. It sounded like a quote. "i'm not surprised. from the readings, i'll bet there's two more. then i can use the readings from the four to find him."

"Well then, if we have what we came for, we can head for home," Kurt said. "Then we can work more on that scanner and try to pin down the next anomaly."

"it's just, you know? what's the date today?"

"The twenty-eighth of November," Kurt told the skeleton. "Oh, you mean 'now'. I certainly don't know."

Sans pulled out his phone, his bony fingers tapping in a quick rhythm. Kurt wondered if it was time he should get a smartphone, or any phone at all for that matter. Finding what he was looking for, Sans's eyelights dimmed slightly. "it's been two months. this can't be right."

"Two months since, wait, since Frisk should have fallen?" Kurt said, finally catching on to what Sans had been hinting at. "And the puzzles weren't activated, meaning she hasn't been seen. Does that mean she never came to the underground at all?"

"or that she never left torii's," Sans confirmed. "but for two months? she never said anything about being able to reset to before she fell. doesn't feel right, either. frisk was trying to figure out a way to save asriel. can't imagine being able to do that from within the ruins."

Sans dialed his phone, then pulled it up to his skull.

" **Sans! You're calling me! You never call me!"** Apparently, Kurt decided, some things stayed the same no matter which timeline you were in.

"hey, Papyrus," Sans said into the phone. "just got a quick question for you. you keeping watch for humans?"

" **Of course I am, Sans! And... wait a minute! Does that mean you've found one?"** Papyrus's voice was already loud enough that Kurt could hear him clearly from Sans's phone, but it may have even grown louder and more excited.

"afraid not, bro. just doing some research on something. thanks, though. see you later." Sans hung up. "hm. wonder if he'll tell the other me that i called him. might confuse myself. eh, it's going tibia okay in the long run."

"You're trying to be hard to be humerus," Kurt said. He'd looked some bone puns up, and had been saving that particular line for a special occasion, but Sans found it hilarious. Once he'd calmed down again, they made their way to the machine to return to their home time. "Look, you should just ask Frisk if she remembers this particular loop," he said, as Sans punched in the home coordinates.

"maybe," Sans said, his voice suggesting that his mind was elsewhere.

Sans was unusually quiet as they headed back to the machine. After they'd safely returned to their present, Kurt tried to rebreak the ice by asking, ""What can you tell me about the old scientist?"

"Dr. Gaster," Sans said, his eyelights flickering. "nobody else remembers this, so i'm not sure what i'm making up, and what really happened anymore.

"Try me," Kurt told him.

"Dr. Gaster was the head royal scientist. physics was his specialty, but after chara died, the king ordered him to perform research on souls. and he did, starting with the first soul collected. i'm not sure who that was, though i know the king knew. he was the one that extracted 'determination', and injected into what was flowey, waking up asriel."

"But that wasn't all he was working on, was it?" Kurt asked.

"no, about the same time he was preparing the 'vessel', as he called it, he began noticing things. he claimed he was seeing things he'd seen before, alphys and i thought it was just deja vu, but he was insistent. that's when he started his version of the machine. he wanted to research the anomalies. i thought at first he fell into the core, but maybe he got it close enough to working that something drastic happened. the day he vanished, alphys came into the lab thinking she was chief scientist, and always had been. i was the only one who remembered Dr. Gaster. not the king, not torii when i saw her again, not even Papyrus, no one else remembered him."

"Do you know why?" Kurt asked. "Was he close to you?"

Sans's eyelights flickered out. "don't know why. don't remember frisk's other loops, but i remember this." There was a particular edge to Sans's voice, and Kurt had the sudden impression that Sans was, if not lying, at least not telling the whole truth. Not about Frisk, anyway. But that wasn't important right now.

"But this Dr. Gaster," Kurt pressed, "he was close to you, wasn't he?"

Sans looked up at him, without the eyelights, it made for a scary view, and Kurt took a half step back before holding his ground. "Doctor Gaster is our father, and I will do whatever it takes to free him whatever fate holds him. That's the promise that I made."

"Sans," Kurt said, "I'm with you, every step of the way. I'm sure, wherever he's watching from, he's proud of you."

The skeleton's eyelights blinked back on. "thanks, pal. i mean that," Sans said, holding out his hand.

Kurt reached out to shake it... and the depressing sound of gas escaping a rubber cushion echoed through the corridors of the underground.

* * *

Now that the first task had ended, the conversation around Hogwarts had gone from the rivalry between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, to the upcoming Yule Ball. This was not something Frisk was particularly interested in, as it was for fourth years and up. She, and the other two agreed, they'd rather go home for the holidays, so were most of their friends.

It was great to have Opal back with them, even if it did mean they were back to running laps before they they went outside for their customary Saturday flying practice. Then there was the discussion of what to get everyone's friends and family for Christmas. It was both easier and harder this year, while Chara and Asriel both had their unique insights of what to get the other monsters, now they had to work out a gift from each of them.

It was the Tuesday before the end of term, during breakfast, that a Ravenclaw prefect delivered a note to Asriel.

"What's that about?" Chara asked, between spoonfuls of cereal.

Asriel picked it up from the table, turned it over. "It's an invitation for the three of us to spend the afternoon with Professor Hagrid..."

"The care of magical creatures professor?" Frisk asked. "Why?"

"...along with another guest," Asriel continued. "One who's been wanting to meet you, again." He looked up. "Do you think it could be... what was his name? The centaur chief's son?"

"Dubran," Chara said. "I can't think of who else it might be."

"I guess we'll just have to find out this afternoon," Asriel said. "But we better get going, that's the five minute bell." They finished their breakfast quickly. "You know," Asriel said, pointing at the wall where the giant hourglasses kept track of the house points. "Were those always there?"

Frisk looked at where Asriel was pointing, and saw them. Above each of the hourglasses was a large shield in the colors of the house, in the center, the house's animal. A badger for Hufflepuff, a lion for Gryffindor, a snake for Slytherin, and a eagle for Ravenclaw. Those might have been there before, Frisk couldn't remember. The things that Frisk pretty sure were new were the three larger shields above them. There was one on the left, which was sky blue, and must have been a reference to Beauxbaton, the one on the center was Hogwarts, and the crimson one on the right had to be Durmstang.

"Think they mean anything?" Chara asked.

"Only that we're going to be late to class if if we stare at them any longer," Asriel said. "Come on, Chara. See you at lunch, Frisk!"

That afternoon, after putting their school things away, and getting their heavy cloaks, they gathered together in the courtyard just outside the entrance hall, and trooped across the grounds towards the care of magical creatures hut. They passed the giant horses that had pulled the Beauxbaton carriage, and knocked on the equally large door of Professor Hagrid.

It was first answered by the bark of Fang, then by Hagrid opening the door. His gaze fell down on Frisk first, who smiled hopefully up at him. "Ach, yeh came. Come in, come in!" And, all though the space in the hut was normally quite large, it was being taken up by two centaurs. Firenze and Dubran.

"I told you they would come," Firenzie said in his quiet voice, smiling across the table at the three Dreemurrs. "Young Dubran has been asking, almost since you left, if we could try to arrange a visit to Hogwarts to see you."

Frisk felt uncomfortable. There was no way that the chief had approved this visit, she met Chara's eyes, and thought her sister was thinking the same thing. But Asriel was excited. "It's good to see you!"

Dubran's eyes were shining. "And you, how have you been?"

Hagrid passed around cups of steaming tea, and they sipped it as they talked. "Now then," Firenzie said after a few minutes. "You said you had something to show them?"

"Oh! Right!" Dubran exclaimed. "I brought some bows, in case you wanted to learn to shoot some more. They're even smaller ones, so it should be easier."

Before Frisk could decline, Asriel and Chara had eagerly accepted. What was it about bows, anyway? Undyne had bought her a toy bow last Christmas, and now they had a centaur wanting to teach them the real thing.

After being taken just inside the Forbidden Forest, away from any prying eyes, and after Hagrid made a rather loud and thorough search of the nearby area, Firenze unpacked and strung a a few bows, and allowed Dubran to start showing the others how to shoot. Asriel threw himself into it, and Dubran helped him set his feat, line himself up with the target, and aim. After watching them, Frisk had to admit it took a certain agility, and strength, to fire a bow. She had the first, not so much the second.

Chara had the best results, she managed to hit the outer edge of the tree hung target. Asriel was close, but Frisk just didn't quite have the knack for it, and left each arrow short of its target. "That's okay," Frisk said. "It's not really my thing, anyway. But it's been fun to see you."

"It's getting late, we do need to be back before dinner," Firenzie told them.

"Can we do this again?' Dubran asked.

"Yeh certainly have my permission," Hagrid said, grinning down at them.

"Yes!" exclaimed Asriel and Dubran together. They shook on it, and Dubran let Firenzie take him back towards their home.

"Hagrid?" Frisk asked, as the two of them passed out of sight. "Are they going to get in trouble if Chief Magorian figures out where they've been? Does the headmaster know they were coming?"

"Yeh, he does, and he approved of it," Hagrid said. "Great man, Dumbledore, said it was important for Centaurs, Humans, Monsters, everyone to get together. As for Magorian, that's fer Firenze to worry about, not you lot. But don't go spreading it around the castle. There's been that Prophet lady sticking her nose into everything, and I don't want to know what she'd write about."

They thanked Hagrid for the tea, and headed back up to the castle, jumping as an explosion went off from an enclosure on the other side.

"Eh," said Hagrid, rolling his eyes. "Don't mind the Skrewts."

 _A/N: Hey folks! As always, I just want to thank everyone for the reviews, favorites, and follows. They're extremely gratifying to me, as a writer. As always, don't just tell me what I'm doing right, tell me what I'm doing wrong too. I reread these things three times at least before I post, and I'll miss things on the tenth time, as well. If you don't want to leave a review, consider a Private Message, I'll read and respond, I promise._

 _See you soon!_


	17. A Christmas Break

The Hogwarts Express was much emptier on the way home for the Christmas holiday than it normally was. It seemed like every student over third year was staying at Hogwarts for the Yule ball. But that was okay for the Dreemurrs and most of their friends, they were able to spread out between two adjacent compartments, talking, playing cards, or whatever else. So was Ginny, she'd been asked to the Yule ball by Neville, and was very excited to not to have to spend Christmas with her brother Percy.

"So what are you going to get Asriel and Chara for Christmas?" Opal asked them.

"Probably some quidditch books, or something on magical creatures," Frisk said. "Asriel has a dream of being the first monster to play on a quidditch team. And, well, Chara's pretty good with animals, no matter what she's said." she asked. Neither Opal or Steven had brothers or sisters.

"What about your parents, and other friends?" Opal asked her, pushing the cards towards Steven. They were playing exploding snap again. Frisk had considered asking for a book on card games to find others to play.

"I was talking about that with Asriel and Chara this morning," Frisk said. Her siblings were in the next compartment with Colin, Dennis, and some of their other friends. "We thought if we pooled our pocket money, we could find a new anime for Undyne and Alphys. There's loads of them out there. You know, we should get together sometime over the holidays." She was quite aware that Steven had never seen an anime. "We could watch one together. There's not always a lot to do in the winter."

"I'd like to," Steven said, picking up the cards to shuffle them, "But we usually spend a lot of time with my grandparents in Ireland. So I don't know if we'll get the chance." He dealt out the next hand.

"You've Irish grandparents? Bet they were excited about the cup, then," Opal said, picking up her cards. Steven favored her with a wry look. "What about your parents?" she asked. "Do you have anything for them?" They played through the hand, and Opal gathered up the cards for the next go round.

"The best I could come up is some matching jewelry," Frisk said, as Asriel and Chara opened the door to come into their compartment. "It's not very exciting, but it would celebrate them coming back together. It's either that or clothing. Or maybe more books. We could probably find something for them in the bookstore. It's Sans that's tough. Papyrus, we're going to get him some sort of puzzle games to go with the DS that Alphys got him last year. But I have no idea what to get Sans."

"I still say we get him the biggest bottles of ketchup and mustard we can find," Asriel said as he sat down, grinning. "I'm serious!" he said, as Opal and Steven stared at him, Frisk rolled her eyes. "And Chara could get him a jar of Mayo!" Chara just shook her head, but she was smiling as she next down next to Frisk.

"Didn't you get him a camera for Christmas last year?" Steven asked. Frisk nodded, as Opal finished shuffling and dealt. "How about some nice picture frames to go with them." he suggested.

"That's actually a pretty good idea," Chara said, and Frisk had to agree. They continued the conversation, being quizzed on what everyone hoped to get for themselves, as the train headed back to London's King Cross station.

They arrived, eventually, disembarked and immediately looked around for their parents. Mom and Dad were waiting for them on the platform, standing with the Oxtobys. With one last goodbye to their friends, the Dreemurrs headed to join them. There was a ministry wizard accompanying them to put a disillusionment charm on the monsters, before they headed up through the barrier, where they would take a ministry car back home.

* * *

It took multiple trips for the three Dreemurr children to purchase the presents they wanted to give for Christmas. They researched things with Alphys on the internet, visited non-wizard shops with the Oxtobys, and had a trip to Diagon Alley with their parents, then they had to hide the packages from each other to get them wrapped. When all was said and done, there was a huge pile under the Dreemurr's tree, a pile that only got bigger as the gifts from Frisk's friends came in.

Just like before, nine people had gathered in the Dreemurr's living room. Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys were all there; and they were going to visit Mettaton, Napstablook, and Burgerpants, and a few others over the next few days. Toriel, with help, had made stacks of chocolate chip pancakes, and they were being eaten with gusto. Even Sans was awake this time.

And again, Frisk couldn't remember every present everyone received; she and her siblings each received various school supplies and other things to help them with their studies... the talking homework planner might have gone a little far. Chara and Asriel both received Swiss army knives to match Frisk's. Dad had also purchased Dominion games (and expansions) for them to take back to Hogwarts.

Chara had gotten everyone variety packs of chocolates, from Peanut M&Ms to Whisper bars.

After putting their heads together, the children had pooled their gift allowance to find Alphys and Undyne a copy of "Record of the Lodoss War", which seemed to be right up their alley. At least, judging from Undyne's huge smile and Alphys squee noise. In return, Undyne got them more NERF weapons, naturally.

Papyrus was thrilled with having more Layton puzzles to work on, and well, more 'Bathroom Readers'. It was the thought that counted, right?

Sans, again, got everyone gift certificates. His brother got another recipe book, Frisk was pretty sure it wasn't the same one as last year, but she wasn't positive. There was laughter all around the room when he unwrapped the 64 ounce bottles of ketchup and mustard, and it took Toriel exclaiming "Not on the carpet!" for him not take a swig right there and then.

The most interesting gift came from Alphys. She had got them all new cellphones. "Your mom asked me to work on the electronics versus magic puzzle after she couldn't make a call in Diagon alley." Alphys said, looking proud of her accomplishment. "This one uses ambient magic in area to actually sustain its battery life!"

"Now I want you to note," Toriel said, "I'm going to let you take them to school, but they are for emergencies only. If any of your teachers so much as figures out they exist, they're coming home on the next owl. But if we're not at the platform when you get there, or something else happens, I want to know you're covered."

Just like Frisk last year, Asriel and Chara both got mathematics books from Toriel... and a Nimbus 2001 that they would be able to take to school with them next year. Frisk had gotten them a home Quidditch game kit, so they might be able to practice before trying out for the house teams next year.

But perhaps Frisk's favorite gift came from Asriel. He had to search for it under the tree, as they were small container, but there was one for Chara and Frisk. After she carefully removed the blue wrapping paper, she was left with a small, hinged, velvet box. She opened it carefully, and peered inside. There, attached to a chain, was a small golden heart locket. She picked it up before she saw the engraving: "Family forever."

She looked up. Chara was holding hers in shaking hands, staring down at it. Then, without saying a word, her sister unclipped the chain, draped it around her neck, and refastened it. She didn't say thank you, Frisk didn't think she could. She stood, walked over to Asriel, and embraced him instead, pausing just long for Frisk to see that Asriel was wearing one of his own.

Then she put her own on, and went to join in.

That night, they were all going to eat together, friends and family alike. Most of them pitched in making dinner. Even Papyrus was allowed to show off his improving cooking skills. Undyne, however, was still restricted to setting the table and tossing a salad, much to her displeasure.

Some might say a family dinner didn't hold a candle to the feasts at Hogwarts, Those people are wrong. "Alphys?" Asriel asked about halfway through the main course. "What was it that you wanted to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore about?"

"O..o..oh, that?" Alphys said, her cheeks reddening. "It wasn't anything important," she said, turning to study her plate. "Just an idea I had. Frisk asked about, well, it's nothing. Really."

" **Alphys!** " Papyrus exclaimed from the other end of the table. " **It was a fine idea! Dumbledore himself said so. You should be prouder! I'm sure everything well turn out perfectly well!"** Asgore rumbled his own agreement, and both Undyne and Toriel gave nods of encouragement.

"Well, yes, **"** Alphys said, blushing harder. "We're going to try it. I hope it goes okay. Everyone's pitched in," she looked up from the table. "And you'll tell me if you get any more ideas, right?" There was a approval from all the other adults at the table.

"But what is it?" asked Frisk. This was no explanation at all. She could tell that Alphys wanted nothing more than to tell her, but Toriel shook her head.

"It's a game that Alphys set up," Toriel told them. "You'll hear about it when you're back at school." She smiled at Frisk, "I wouldn't want it spoiled for you..."

"But it's something you'll enjoy!" Alphys exclaimed. "I think, er, I hope," And with that tease, the conversation was moved to how the students were doing in school, how they were enjoying it, and what the adults were doing when the children weren't on holiday.

* * *

Going to Burger King on Sans's gift card for a second year didn't make it a tradition, Frisk decided. It'd take at least a third year. But here they were again, crunching through freshly fallen snow, all wrapped up in new winter clothing. There were four of them this time. Even Asriel had been allowed to go out, though he was was wearing a full ski mask. The only parts of him Frisk could see was his bright green eyes, the tip of his nose, and and the edges of his lips.

Their orders were similar, smaller burg' for the kids, a Whopper with extra condiments for Sans. There weren't many mundane humans out, even though it wasn't that cold, and Asriel was enjoying the chance to walk through the nearby village's high street.

"you know," Sans said, popping a french fry. "i wonder if we could get grillby to make a chain. bet it would sell."

"He can't be everywhere at once," Frisk said, swallowing a mouthful of sandwich. "Though it would be great if they served all the different types he does."

"so," Sans said, lowing his voice to a whisper. "i gotta question for ya."

"What was that?" Chara asked. "I couldn't hear you, Sans."

"You can speak up," Frisk told the skeleton. "You can ask them anything you'd ask me, after all."

Sans's eyelights flickered. "if you're sure," he said. "did you, on any of your loops, ever have to hurt anyone?"

Frisk stared back at the skeleton. She had not been expecting this question at all. "Dad," she whispered. "And," she looked guiltily at Asriel, "Flowey. But never anyone else."

"absolutely positive?" he asked, his eyelights flickering for a second time.

"If she isn't sure, I am," Chara said quietly. "I remember all of them, every single trip. Frisk had trouble defending herself, even when she knew what was coming. She never wanted to hurt anyone. She was just looking for a way to save my brother, it's what convinced me I was wrong about humans."

"Why are you asking this, Sans?" Asriel demanded. "How could you accuse Frisk of that? You know her."

"i guess i do," he admitted. He closed his eyes, something Frisk still didn't know how he managed. "i was pretty sure. but i've seen things now that i didn't think could exist."

"This has something to do with Dr. Gaster, doesn't it?" Frisk asked, remembering the question Sans had asked her on her second day of school. "Have you found a way to go back to the other loops?" Asriel and Chara stared at her.

Sans didn't say anything for a minute. A door open, then closed, somewhere behind them, a human going into a green grocers. "i thought so," he finally said. "maybe i'm going even further than that. He opened his eyes again, and his eyelights glinted, and he reached in his bag for his burger. "just what did you do, doctor? where are we going?"

"What did you see," asked Frisk. A chill had gone down her spine, and she didn't think it came from the weather. "What did I..."

Sans turned to her sharply, and his eyelights were out. "Not you, Frisk. If you don't remember it, and Chara backs you up, wasn't you." His eyelights reignited. "so don't worry about it, kiddos. you all have enough guilt for yourself without needing me to pile more on top of it. let me worry about parallel dimensions."

"That's probably for the best," Asriel said, as Frisk was about to protest. He tried to imitate his father. "The only person you can be absolutely responsible for is yourself, and the only person absolutely responsible for yourself is you."

"Okay," Frisk said, but she wasn't sure she was convinced. "But Sans? If you need help, you'd ask me for it, right?"

"eh, kiddo, this one's above your grade level at the moment. thanks, though. if i think there's something you could help with, i'll leave you a message on that sparkly new phone alphys got for you," Sans promised.

"I still owe you for helping rescue Chara and Asriel," Frisk told him. "Without your machine, it wouldn't have been possible. So, please keep me in mind." Chara and Asriel both voiced their support as well.

"eh, you're in line after Papyrus," Sans said, sounding happy. "but thank you again." They walked on, back towards the Dreemers house, talking about more pleasant things as they went, and enjoying their food.

Frisk and company made the most of their time over the next few weeks. They saw other monsters, like Majik and Knight Knight. They spent an afternoon with Burgerpants, Mettaton, and Napstablook, sharing some new music, wizard and otherwise. They had a long afternoon with Opal having her over to watch anime and see what it was all about. They had a day with Alphys and Undyne, trying again to extract whatever was going on with her and Dumbledore. And they had several tries in the yard with their new quidditch set, taking turns playing keeper against the other two trying to score goals.

But all to soon, it was time to go back to Hogwarts. They rode with the ministry again, and with trunks that were slightly heavier than when they left, got back on the train to head to school. And, of course, there were all sorts of treats and small gifts to share with their friends for the trip.

* * *

There was a feast the night they returned. When desert had been polished away, and everyone was fit to burst, Dumbledore rose to his feet. "To those of you who went home for the winter break, welcome back. For those who stayed for the ball, it is almost time to go back to work." He smiled down at them. "But before we do, I would like to direct everyone's attention to the wall near the Slytherin table."

Frisk looked up. That's where the hourglasses, which kept the running house totals, were. But it was on the far side of the table from her, and she couldn't see anything else there. Apparently, neither could anyone sitting near her.

"Now, I apologize, this may be hard to see from across the room, but if you cast your mind back to the last time you were in this room, you may remember the shields that adorned the wall above the hourglasses." Frisk did remember those, Asriel had even pointed them out. But they weren't there now. "It has been suggested that an activity be held to challenge those who did not have the fortune of competing in the Triwizard tournament, one that challenges Hogwarts students to work together rather than competing separately."

"Those shields have split into dozens of pieces each, and hidden throughout the entire castle and its grounds. My challenge to you all is simple. Each of these pieces is guarded by some sort of obstacle," he swept his gaze around the curious students. "Some may be guarded by a skillful trap, others by a physical challenge. Some may require a bit of mental puzzling to get past, and others may be more mysterious yet."

The whispers in the hall turned excited. "You will find these tasks are not as dangerous as the ones our champions will be put through, so as many of them as we can will be open to all years of students. Some will require magic taught in specific years, you will find some marked with a 'starred' number, and those doors will not open if you are not at least of that year. In the interest of fairness, some may be the opposite. Students who fall behind on their schoolwork will be prohibited from taking part. But they are, otherwise, open to all students, and our guests from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are invited to join in. You may find their aid vital, in fact," he said, nodding to the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables, respectively.

"And finally, for a challenge, there should be a reward. Should you all succeed, and I have no doubt you will, I shall arrange for some small treat given to the whole school. So work together, and find those pieces. But for tonight, it is time we turn in."

The hall broke out into excited discussion as they houses got up from their tables, heading to their outside quarters, or the separate common rooms.


	18. The First Piece

The first day of winter term started much like the fall term ended. They spent lunch talking with some of the upper classmen, talking about what had happened at the Triwizard Yule Ball.

"It wasn't bad," Ginny told Frisk, though she glanced up and down the table first. "Neville's very nice," she said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "But he's not a very good dancer. I hope you all had a good holiday, oh, and mother made us all some homemade fudge."

"We did," Frisk told her. "Mom made cookies for all of us again," she told the older Gryffindor, as she swallowed a bit of milk. They talked a bit about everything that had happened. "I just wish I knew what Sans was actually trying to do, and where he's been. But he keeps everything..."

"Don't say it," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "Let me guess, close to the chest bones?"

Frisk laughed. "Yeah, I guess." She reached out for another half sandwich. "Has anyone found any of these challenges that the headmaster talked about last night?"

Ginny had just shaken her head no, when Opal came up behind them, sitting down at the Hufflepuff table. "We think so," she said. Frisk turned toward her friend, motioning for her to continue, as she'd been caught with a mouthful of food. "Hannah saw a box outside the kitchens, marked with the Hufflepuff crest. On it was a small sticker, 'Why is there ever only one egg in a French cooking?'."

Ginny and Frisk looked at each other in confusion. "But it doesn't make sense," Opal said, "Dad makes French dishes every so often, and if there's eggs, there's usually several."

"It's some kind of riddle, I'm sure," Ginny said. They sat and thought about it for the rest of the period, throwing out quickly discarded suggestions. When the warning bell rang, telling them they had five minutes to get to class, they were still no closer to solving the puzzle.

"Do you want to go looking for other challenges this afternoon?" Ginny asked as they stood. There was enthusiastic agreement from the others. "That's a great idea," Opal said, "Hey, that's Luna, I'll go tell her. Meet in the great hall about fifteen minutes after class? That should give us time to put our books away."

"Sounds good, Opal. See you then!" Frisk said as she stood. Then she had to dart off to History of Magic, the Hogwarts cure for insomnia. That afternoon, when they got together in the great hall, they could tell they weren't the only group that had been excited about Dumbledore's announcement. There were several other groups forming here. The Weasley twins, Lee Jordan, and their fellow Quidditch team member Angelina Johnson had been spotting forming in the common room. Chara and Asriel had talked themselves into joining Frisk and her friends, after promising the Creevy brothers they'd go with them later in the week.

"Where should we start?" Ginny asked. "Away from the others, I'm guessing. Maybe where the Fat Lady was hiding last year? On the third floor? Seems as good a place as any." It really was, but what Dumbledore should have said was they would be hidden well. If there were any on the fourth floor, they weren't finding any. Not that they were completely sure what they were looking for. They were about to head down to dinner, when they were found by an out of breath Steven Marsh.

"Opal!" he said, grinning widely. "You've got to see this!" he turned, and headed towards the grand staircase. "Draco found it, it's down on the second floor. But he wasn't having a lot of luck with it."

"One of the challenges?" Opal asked.

"Yes, and you'll be great at it," Steven said. "You'll really want to see it!" He led them down the second floor corridor, towards the classroom where Frisk had seen the boggart the previous year. On their way, they found a very grumpy (and slightly sweaty) Draco Malfoy walking the other way. He was complaining about the impossibility of something to his two lackeys, and not looking where he was going, and plowed directly into Chara.

The smaller girl stumbled backward, as Malfoy turned toward them. "Watch where you're going, first year," he snarled, stepping toward Chara. She set her feet and folded her arms, staring right up at him. Draco looked surprised, and peered between the other two larger Slytherin, who looked as surprised as he was. Asriel stepped forward, until he was shoulder to shoulder with Chara, and practically nose to nose himself with Draco.

Ignoring them, Draco's eyes flitted between Steven and Frisk. "I see your spy is still working for you." He lifted his arms, about to give Chara a shove, when he was interrupted.

"What's all this then?" growled a voice behind them, causing the entire group to jump. Mad-Eye Moody had stumped up behind them. He looked from Chara to Draco, back to Chara, and his eyes narrowed. "Is this another teaching moment, Malfoy?"

Malfoy let out a squeak of terror, stepping backward.

"It's okay, sir," Frisk said, stepping between the teacher and the now fleeing Draco. "It was an accident."

"Looked to me like he was about to bully your sister there," Moody growled. He squinted his normal eye at Chara, while the magical one stared at the rapidly departing Slytherins. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, sir," Chara said, taking a step backward from Moody, looking away from his stare. "Just bumped me in the corridor. I'm not hurt."

"Fine," Moody said, but Frisk thought he sounded disappointed. His magical eye rolled forward to a door not much further down the corridor. "Oh, is that where you lot are headed? To take on that challenge? Heh. Good luck!" he said, stalking down the corridor in the same direction Draco had gone.

"You should have said something," Opal said. "Malfoy's a bully. He'd have deserved it."

"He wouldn't have deserved whatever Moody would have done." Steven said, watching Moody's back. "He transfigured Draco into a ferret and bounced him on the tile outside the great hall during the first week of classes." Opal, Chara, and Asriel all turned to stare at him. "I thought everyone heard about that."

"I did," Frisk said quietly. "Hurting people isn't the answer, and the professor is just as much a bully as Malfoy is." She never had gotten an apology for the detention he had given her. She hadn't exactly pressed for one, and bygones had apparently been bygones.

"Anyway, come on!" Steven said. He headed to the door, opening it, and disappeared inside. The group walked in, and openly stared at the large, expansive contraption in front of them. The room was about half the length of a quidditch pitch, and about the same length. The floor, and most of the walls, was entirely covered with a blue rubbery mat that was a bit hard to walk on. On one wall, a portrait of a witch grinned down at them.

Frisk, Chara, and Asriel looked at each other, knowing, in an instant, that Undyne had created this particular challenge, stolen it, probably. On one side of the room, a cargo net led up to a platform. Above that platform was a, track, Frisk decided was the right word, that a bar hooked into. The track angled down, but curved back up at the end. Then there was a gap, and then there was a second track and bar. The end of that one was just over a platform, leading to what appeared to be a vertical glass tube. If you could get up through that square tube, would get you to what must have been a hanging ledge that circled half the room. And, there, on the platform, was a small box, which must have been the target.

"Wow," said Ginny, her gaze going up. "What's this about?"

"It's an obstacle course," Opal said in wonder. She immediately headed to the cargo net and climbed it. She put both hands on the bar, pressed herself into motion, and went flying down the track. Just after the dip, she released the bar, went hurdling towards the next one, and missed it completely. She crashed into the padded pillar, and fell backwards onto the floor.

"That's one," said the witch in the portrait. "Five chances on any one day."

Frisk hurried forward to support her Opal, who was picking herself up off the floor. "That didn't go the way I thought it would. Who wants to try next?"

Frisk didn't particularly think any of this was going to go well. But she was game to try, at least once. So she climbed the cargo net, looking out at the course laid before her. It wasn't quite high enough that looking down made her uncomfortable, maybe the mats helped. So she took a deep breath, grabbed the bar, and pushed off.

She let go too early, before the bar had the chance to crest the dip, and was propelled straight into the mat below. The fall didn't hurt, but she did impact the matting pretty hard, and it knocked the wind from her. Steve helped her to feet. "Harder than it looks," she said. "Anyone else want a go?" Chara did, but she didn't do any better than the others did. Then they had to talk Ginny into trying, but finally managed to goad her to embarrass herself the same way the others had. Asriel went last, as no amount of cajoling could get Luna or Steven to try their skills.

So then it was on to attempt number two. And number three. On her fourth attempt, Opal managed to reach out and the second bar. It didn't help, as she met mat for the fourth time. But it was encouraging, it was better than any of them had done so far. She did it again on her fifth attempt, at a time when none of the other members of their group were coming close.

"Can we try again tomorrow?" Asriel asked the portrait, as Opal picked herself from the mat a fifth time.

"Of course dearie," she told them. "And I look forward to it!" There wasn't really enough time for them to go looking for another challenge afterward, it was too close to dinner. So after they'd tall taken their last lumps, they went to wash up, and made their way down to the great hall, where there was enthusiastic discussion of some of the other 'challenges' people had found.

Someone in Gryffindor had found some kind of block puzzle, while a Ravenclaw group had found an agility puzzle, trying to work together to get a pumpkin out from a stump. Some older students had a group of flags they were trying to 'match' within a time limit. That didn't seem right, but that's all she had to go on for the moment. There were apparently a few riddles out there as well, but to Frisk's frustration, everyone appeared to want to be the first to find a piece, so there wasn't team work going on. On the other hand, no one Frisk posed the riddle Opal found that morning could come up with a solution either.

The other mystery was Professor Hagrid's disappearance. It was reported he'd been missing from classes that day, and he wasn't at dinner either. A smaller, elderly woman was substituting, much to the concern of some of the Gryffindors. Frisk joined in, Hagrid had seemed nice enough the few times she'd met him.

They were back for round two the next day. A few other students were there already, older Ravenclaws, but after their first attempt, they left and didn't come back. In between their attempts, there was discussion of any other things they'd seen. Steven had pointed out an odd shield over the dungeon door leading to potions, a silver snake on a red and gold field, but nobody knew what that meant.

On Wednesday they were joined by Colin and Dennis Creevy for their own gos. And, on her fourth attempt, Opal finally managed the second bar, when only Frisk was otherwise getting close. She landed on the platform only to stumble nearly off again. She looked around afterward, suddenly realizing she had no obvious way to the ledge that led to their prize. "Uh, now what?" she asked.

Frisk looked up at the tube, unsure herself. "Maybe you wedge yourself?" Luna suggested. She held her arms all the way out on both sides. That seemed familiar to Frisk, so she shouted it was a good idea. They all shouted encouragement, but it was not to be. Opal leaped into the tube, but her hands slipped almost immediately, and she tumbled back down. She didn't land on the platform, that'd have been too easy. The platform had titled as soon as she jumped, and deposited her back to the ground.

But they all went to congratulate Opal anyway, she had proven that the first obstacle could be beaten. Not that any of them did it again that afternoon, but it was good to know. "You know," Opal said, "We could take a break and look for other challenges tomorrow," she offered.

"But you're close," protested Frisk, smiling. "And I want you to be first. Hufflepuff can shine this time."

"I want our team to be first," Steven said, grinning at them. "Besides, if you get this out of your system during the week, maybe you won't make us run on the weekend."

They were back at again on Thursday. For the first time, Frisk got the leap down, making it to the second bar. But Opal made the jump three times, and on her fifth attempt, she managed to wedge herself in the tube, as the platform tilted away underneath. She couldn't climb, just managing a series of short spider like jumps, wedging herself as hard she could each time. And she did it! Pulling herself out at the top. Victory was in reach!

There was no puzzle, no timing needed for the last challenge, it was just pure endurance, trying to climb along the ledge, using her only her hands. But she was so close to the prize, and everyone beneath was holding their breath. Opal tried to pull herself along as quickly as she could, as the rest of her friends cheered from below. The trickiest bits were the corners of the room, the one spot where she had to reach. But apparently, the summer of rugby had held her well, and she dropped to the final platform. She grabbed the small box, and this time, jumped down to the mat below. Frisk and the others swarmed her, congratulating her like she had just caught a snitch for a Quidditch win.

"So what's in the box?" Asriel asked, excitedly.

Opal opened it, pulling out a piece of bright red material, a bit bigger than an average jigsaw puzzle piece (without the cutouts), with the edges of a golden paw just in view. For a moment, she looked crestfallen. "All that? And I get a piece of the Gryffindor shield?"

"Does it matter?" Frisk asked. "You're still the first person to find one. Isn't she?" Frisk asked in the direction of the portrait. But it was empty, to her surprise.

"She walked out of frame when Opal finished the course," Steven told her. "Come on, let's go down to the great hall and put it in!"

"Actually," Frisk suggested, "Why don't we wait until dinner. Opal can show off a little, she's earned it."

"Don't you dare," Opal told them. "We all worked on it, you're standing there with me!" Frisk smiled at her friend.

And they did so, that night at dinner, the group of them hovered by the shields near the Slytherin table, where Malfoy was giving them the stink eye again.

Before food arrived, Dumbledore stood up at the staff table. "Ah, before we begin. I see we have the first successful solver. May I please direct your attention to the shields. Opal Oxtoby, and her team of supporters, has conquered a challenge and recovered the first piece." There was a smattering of applause, loudest from the Hufflepuff table. "Congratulations to you all. But there's several more pieces, and you will only be rewarded if they are all found. I ask you, again, to work together! But for now, Opal, go ahead and place it in the frame.

Opal held the piece up for everyone to see, and placed the red piece in the frame above the Gryffindor hourglass. It slid a bit, of its own accord, and fixed itself into place. Congratulating her again, the group went to sit with the rest of their houses. "Do we go look for a new one tomorrow?" Ginny asked.

"I hope not," Frisk said fervently. "I need to catch up on my homework!"


	19. Dealing in your friends

Over the next few weeks, it became common place for the students to stop before dinner and see any more challenges had been conquered. Some days there were. The day after Opal had turned in their piece, there were three different ones, a piece each of the Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin shields.

The challenges hadn't quite been what Frisk said she had been hoping for. While they certainly were cheering for people to succeed, rather than one to succeed and others to fail, like in the tournament, there still wasn't the cooperation she would have liked to seen. Maybe challenges like that would come, Asriel wasn't sure.

In the meantime, there was still homework to do and classes to attend. Classes were mostly going well, though Asriel and his sister both had their favorites. Asriel was good in Charms, where Chara somewhat struggled. On the other hand, Chara was at her best at Transfiguration, which was something Asriel was not comfortable with, probably for obvious reasons. Neither of them liked History of Magic, nor did they really like Professor Moody, though he was a good enough teacher. Their favorite class, by far, was flying, and Potions was challenging.

With that said, Potions wasn't as bad as Asriel had thought it was going to be. Professor Snape had a reputation of coddling the Slytherin members and being mean, and even cruel, to the members of the other houses, especially Gryffindor. But Asriel just hadn't seen it. Snape was frequently grumpy, but he hadn't seen the professor really take it out on anyone.

In that particular January potions class, Asriel had managed to convince Malcolm Baddock to join him in potions again. He was a first year Slytherin, a bit brash, but generally a perfectly reasonable individual. Back in September, he'd been initially shocked, but a little flattered, that Asriel had asked to be his potions partner. He'd noticed the reactions of the Gryffindor table to his sorting. There'd been a split since Harry's name had come out of the goblet, but winter break had calmed tempers.

This meant Chara was paired again with Mafalda Prewitt. There were only two things Asriel knew for sure about Mafalda: One, she had bright red hair; Two, she was extremely talkative. She was the only Slytherin that Snape ever had to single out in class, because she wasn't always capable of keeping her voice down. She wasn't as bad as Papyrus, for sure, she had an indoor voice, she just forgot to use it occasionally. Still, Chara said she really knew her stuff, especially in potions.

They filed in through the dungeon door, under a green and silver shield with a golden badger on it. That afternoon they were working on a 'Cure For Boils' that Madam Pomfrey had requested. Snape prowled around the class as they worked, he said nearly nothing, if not questioned directly. And asking Snape questions was something one tried to avoid doing. He may not have been as cruel as people said, but he still intimidated the class. He stopped at both Asriel and Chara's tables, as they were working. It only was there a moment, but Asriel was sure he'd spotted him sporting a very brief smile. It might have been the monster's imagination, but he thought he saw Snape's eyes flick to a point just above the dungeon door.

The potion making went efficiently, and more or less quietly. Snape regarded them with a nondescript expression. And, after examining their line up of potion bottles, he proclaimed their homework fate. "Before next lesson, I expect a half roll of parchment on the uses of dragon's blood." The bell rang. "You may go."

Dennis Creevey had charged up to Asriel's desk as the packed away their potion kits. "Do you want to look for a challenge, Asriel? Maybe with my brother and your sisters?"

Asriel had actually gotten an invitation to visit to Hagrid for tea that afternoon. It hadn't taken a Ravenclaw to read between the lines and know what this actually meant. "Sorry, Dennis, I'm actually busy this afternoon." But he felt bad in declining. This wasn't the first time Dennis had asked him. He'd been putting it off for weeks. "It's Friday tomorrow. We'll have extra time then. Would that be okay?"

"I can make it," Chara promised from the next table. "I'm mostly caught up on my homework." She looked over at Mafalda, who was putting the last of her ingredients back in her kit."Would you like to join us?"

"Or you, Malcolm?" Asriel asked.

Malcolm looked surprised at the offer. He looked at Dennis cautiously, with the small Gryffindor giving him an anxious, overly eager, smile. "But he's a..." he started, only to be interrupted by a loud cough. They all turned and saw the rather unnerving sight of Professor Snape staring at Malcolm with narrowed eyes. The Slytherin aborted whatever he'd been about to say.

"Sure," Mafalda said, averting her eyes from Snape. She shrugged, "I don't have anything better to do."

"I guess I will too," Malcom said, wilting under Snape's stare.

"Awesome!" Dennis exclaimed. "After class tomorrow, in the great hall? Great! See you, Asriel, everyone!" He ran off, presumably to tell his brother.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Chara asked.

Asriel blinked after the disappearing Creevey, and squelched his misgivings. "It'll be fine!" He looked around at his sister. "But if we're going to make to Hagrid's, we better get going." Bidding their classmates goodbye, Asriel and Chara climbed the long seven flights up the main stairwell toward the common room. They split up to go to their dorms, drop off their books, and collect both a game box and their heavy cloaks.

They met up with Frisk on the way back down to the great hall, and together they headed out through the entrance hall into the snowy January air. Their shoes crunched across the grounds through the snow, and the wind rustled their cloaks. Outside the gameskeeper's hut, beyond the vegetable garden, was a paddock containing about a dozen of some kind of scorpiod creature. It was about six feet long, and had a raised tail that was taller than any of them.

"That must be the blast ended skrewt that Neville was complaining about," Chara said. "He said they're not really social, and they don't see very well, or possibly at all. There also used to be more of them."

Asriel didn't say anything, he pushed his way to the door, knocking on it. He was rewarded with the barking of Fang, and only a moment later, by Hagrid's echoing, "Come in!" Asriel pushed the door open. As they expected, Firenze and Dubran were waiting for them. "Asriel, Frisk, and Chara! Hi!" Dubran said, attempting to restrain his enthusiasm.

"Howdy!" Asriel said. He slung his bag onto Hagrid's large table, and took a seat in front of a cup of steaming tea. His sisters said their greetings, and followed suit.

"How was your holiday?" Dubran asked politely.

"It went well," Asriel said, picking up the tea and sipping it. "How were things here?"

"Cold," Dubran said, grinning at him. "Snowy. But that's normal for this time of year."

"We brought a few things," Frisk said, opening her own bag. "Mom made some more of the cookies we shared with you when you had us over to your home." She pulled out a tin from her bag, and put it in the center of the table.

"Oh, biscuits?" Hagrid said. "I made some as well," he said, placing a large tray of unappetizing looking pastries on the table. Asriel politely picked one up to nibble on, and immediately regretted it. Seeing his face, Frisk slowly changed directions to one of their mother's cookies instead. "That reminds me," Hagrid said. "I need to send yer mother and father a nice thank you note. They wrote a long letter encouraging Dumbledore to keep me on, and for me to stay on, despite my, er, heritage."

Asriel had heard something about that, and Frisk nodded encouragingly. "You're a good person, Mr. Hagrid. That's all that matters."

They made small talk for a while, but when it petered out, Chara spoke up to fill the gap. "Did you have anything you wanted to do this afternoon?"

Dubran faltered slightly. "I thought we could try the bows again, but it's so windy." He sported a brief smile. "Even my father has a hard time hitting the bullseye when it's like this."

"That's okay," said Frisk. "We come prepared!" From their bags, they brought out three large boxes, two of them still wrapped in plastic. Hagrid, Firenze, and Dubran all looked a little startled. "This is a non-wizard strategy game called a 'Deckbuilder'." Frisk said, opening the first box. She got out the cards recommended for the first game, arranging stacks around the table.

"This looks complicated," said Dubran.

"I thought so, too," Asriel said quickly. "But once you get the hang of it, it actually makes a lot of sense." Chara had finished sorting out four initial decks, and passed one out to each of them. "Shuffle them, and then draw five."

Dubran stared at the face down cards that had been placed in front of him. "What do you mean by 'shuffle them'?"

"Playing cards are something that centaurs haven't seen a lot of," Firenze told the group, quietly.

"I apologize," said Asriel, after a moment of surprise. He picked up his small deck, rotating around the table "Here, watch me. Take about half of them in one hand..." Asriel began, and walked him through the steps. The first time Dubran tried, they dropped in a single clump. The second time, cards went flying around the hut, much to Fang's delight. Once they had the cards picked up, and cleaned off, he tried a third time, and a fourth time. He got it eventually, managing to randomize his deck.

"I hope you don't take this wrong way," Asriel said cautiously. "But you can read, right?"

"Yes, I can read. Firenze taught me. But you're right, a lot of centaurs can't." He took five cards off the top.

Frisk began explaining how the game was played. "You start with five cards that really aren't very good, but use them to get better cards. Eventually, the goal is to buy these victory point cards, which don't do anything themselves, so be careful how early you buy them."

"Is there anything we do to other players?" Dubran asked, looking dubiously at the five cards in front of him.

"Not in the setup we have, though there are some that do," Frisk said, "Dad describes it as a race. We race to see who's strategy is more efficient. Shall we try a round?"

"Alright. But maybe someone else should go first. They played through the hand, describing some of the common strategies and card combinations as they went. The problem was that the three Dreemurrs had played this particular set up a few times, and even with Asriel holding himself back a bit, Dubran still finished tied for third. "I think I'm getting it," he said, though he didn't sound particularly encouraged. "Can we try again?"

"Sure," Asriel told them. "If we have time?" he looked up at Firenze, and the larger centaur nodded. "But let's try a different set up. He took the randomizer cards, shuffled them, and picked ten. There was some discussion about certain cards that had come up. Frisk vetoed the witch outright, She didn't like messing with other people. Asriel wanted to make sure there was at least one two coin card available, so people didn't get frustrated on the first turn

Eventually, they had their set up, and they studied the list of ten cards. "The goal is to get to eight coins to buy the provinces," Chara reminded them. When they each agreed they were ready, they started going around again. Dubran did better this time, but Asriel's plan never really got off the ground. Frisk won, with Dubran just edging out Asriel's other sister for second. And Asriel could tell, now that the centaur 'got it', he was having fun with the strategy of it all.

"If you're done, we probably should go," Firenze said, glancing out a window at the setting sun. "We need to return before your father realizes where you've gone off to."

"That's okay," Frisk said, though her voice was suddenly tense. "We'll pick up."

Dubran bent his knees, which was probably the closest he could get to a bow. "Frisk, Chara, Asriel? Thank you. Dad says a lot of thing about humans, that they hate centaurs and push us back into the forests. That they would tame us like common mules if they could."

Firenze cleared his throat, and looked out the window.

"...and that monsters were no better. They'd take the bones they were given like... well, it isn't very nice."

"When the barrier was broken," Frisk said quietly. "I didn't know how monsters and humans would get along. And I know not everyone feels the same way. But, you know? Not all humans really get along with each other. There are humans in my house that hate the fact that I'm friends with Slytherin. But most humans are pretty reasonable." She looked at Dubran with her half lidded eyes. But how can you convince anyone to be a friend, if you're not willing to be a friend first?"

"That's good advice, Ms. Frisk," Firenze told her. "But we really must be going. Have a good evening, children," and they left into rapidly approaching night, the setting sun reflecting off the snow.

* * *

"I wish he'd stop calling on me in class," Chara said as they left Defense against the Dark Arts.

"He gives points to Gryffindor each time," Asriel said, grinning back at his sister. "What's the human saying? Something about a gift pony?"

"Gift horse," Chara said. "In the mouth. I just," she stopped searching for the word. "He's been a bit more... I don't know. Cheerful? Something. Whatever, it's just felt a bit different these last few weeks. But we made a..."

"Asriel! Chara!" Dennis called from behind them. "Come on! Let's go find my brother and we can go look for an adventure!"

"...promise," Chara said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, come on," Asriel said, as they headed for the grand stairwell. "It'll be fun. Dennis!" he called. "Remember we were going to go with the Slytherins?" He waved his acceptance and took off up the stairs ahead of them.

"Sickle says we find him in a trick step," Chara bet.

They didn't, but Asriel hadn't taken the bet anyway. They found him again up in the common room, chatting eagerly with his brother, who wasn't much taller than Dennis was. "Be right back," Asriel said, as they headed up to their dormitory to put their books way.

"Really? Slytherins?" Colin asked his brother as Asriel came back down the stairs. He looked around the common room, but it was still pretty empty. He lowered his voice, but Asriel could still hear him. "You know what Cormac would say if he found out."

"You're going to let someone else tell you who can you be friends with?" Asriel demanded angrily. The few other Gryffindors looked around at them, curiously.

"He's scared, Azzy," Chara said quietly, but Asriel could see the anger flashing in her eyes. His sister didn't like Cormac, not one bit. "You've been hearing what our house says about theirs. Especially Cormac. Colin doesn't want to make himself and his brother targets the way Frisk did."

"Oh." Asriel said, feeling his anger deflate. They stared at each other for a moment.

"We're Gryffindors, aren't we?" Chara asked in that same quiet tone. "We're supposed to be brave, right? What would be braver than befriending someone who's supposed to be our enemy?"

"Yeah!" cheered Dennis, on his way to the portrait hole already.

"Yeah," agreed Colin, following after his brother.

Asriel looked at Chara. "Frisk is going to be proud of you."

His sister stared down the stairwell at the Creevey brothers as her face very quickly turned scarlet. "She was a very good teacher."

They met up with Malcolm and Mafalda down in the Great Hall, and quickly introduced Colin. "Where should we start?" Dennis asked, almost bouncing in place. "How about the hospital wing? It's right over there!"

"Frisk would have said something if there was anything actually in the hospital wing," Asriel told them. "But it's as good as place as any, and it's better than outside." It's was funny. Asriel would have suspected every piece of the castle had been searched from top to bottom already. But Malcolm had the idea of asking portraits if they knew of any challenges that they might be able to attempt. This actually worked, and Asriel wished he'd thought of it.

The door they were led to was on the third floor, and marked with a star labeled "1-3". "Oh, well, we meet that, don't we?" Chara observed. Dennis was already opening the door, and disappearing inside. The rest of them followed suit. The room that lay before them stood in stark contrast to anything they'd seen before. In fact, the aesthetics more resembled Alphys lab than anything else. The walls were all white, except for a single portrait, and so was the floor.

The most obvious thing about this not quite quidditch pitch sized room is that had a slightly smaller enclosed room in it. This inner room was completely made out of a green glass that made it easy to see inside. On the far side of the room, there was even a stairwell leading up to a ladder, to go above it and look down into it.

Which was what Dennis had already done. "It's a maze! There's doors and everything, but a maze! Look, there's the entrance over there, someone go in!"

"You were the one that thought of asking the portrait," Colin said, nodding to Malcolm. "Why don't you try it?" This seemed pretty sensible to the others. They had to circle the middle room to get there. Along the way, they found levers all around the outside.

"Those open the doors on the inside," Dennis reported.

There was also a longer piece that Frisk wasn't sure what it was. They tried pulling it, too, but it didn't move.

Colin reached the door, on the only solid wall of the entire maze. He was about to open it, when the portrait spoke up. "Once in the maze itself, you have five minutes to reach the prize at the far end. If time runs out, or you touch a wall or an obstacle, the alarm will sound and it will be locked away until the maze is clear again."

"Got it," Malcolm said. He opened the door on the outside, but it led only to an inner room they hadn't seen. There was a tan helmet with a pair of white horns sitting on a ledge, and a door leading to the inner maze. He opened the inner door as the outer door clicked shut behind him, but not before they saw the blazing white light coming from the maze. It was enough to momentarily blind those on the outside, and poor Malcolm got the full blast. He stumbled out again, rubbing his eyes.

"You alright?" Asriel asked, as Mafalda and Chara hurried forward to catch him.

"Oh, wow." Malcolm said. He blinked for another couple of seconds. "That's what the helmet must be for. He opened the door again, put on the helmet. "Well. That's not any better. Now I can't see anything, except my feet.

Mafalda's eyes went wide. "I know how this works!" She ran to the opposite side of the maze, where the longer stick stood. "Malcolm?" she called into it. "Can you hear me?"

Malcolm stumbled a second time. "Yes! Too well!"

"Oh," Mafalda said, more quietly. "Sorry. Is that better?"

"Wait," Asriel said. "We have to guide him, blindfolded, around the maze, activate the doors, avoid any traps, and do it all within five minutes?"

"This," Dennis said. "This is going to be fun! _"_


	20. The Mail Is More Dangerous

Frisk had barely sat down in the great hall for dinner that night, when Ginny tapped her on the shoulder. "Look who's over by the challenge shields," she said. Frisk turned in her seat, looking over her shoulder, and saw the Creevey brothers, her siblings, and two Slytherin students she didn't recognize. The Slytherin girl and Colin Creevey held a piece of the Hogwarts crest itself between them, then he let go and let her put it in the frame.

After the requisite ceremony had been observed, they split up to come to their house table. Frisk noted that most members of the Slytherin table didn't seem to care much that they'd partnered with Gryffindor, though there were a few who did, she noticed Draco specifically. The same went at her own table, there were a few dark looks from the older students. She specifically saw Harry Potter and Ginny's brother Ron, but the darkest look came from Cormac McLaggen.

"We should have had you join us, Frisk!" Asriel exclaimed as he sat down across from her, joined a second later by Chara, Dennis, and Colin."You would have really liked this one. It's exactly what you were hoping for, we had to all work together."

"Oh?" Frisk asked.

"We did," confirmed Chara. She described the set up of the room. "Asriel, Colin, and I each took a side to handle the levers and doors. Malcolm ran the maze, with Mafalda giving him directions. Dennis was coordinating all of us, watching Colin from above. signaling us when it was time to open and close the doors, and letting Mafalda know what directions to give."

Frisk was torn between the competing feelings of disappointment that she hadn't had the chance to take part in this challenge herself, and how good she felt for her siblings in completing it, especially with members of another house. That had been what she really wanted, after all. "Did you finish it on the first try?" Frisk asked.

Asriel shook his head. "No, it took us a good five tries before we were coordinated enough. We had to figure out which levers went to which doors, be ready to open them when called for."

"And while it looked like there were multiple paths through the maze, some of them had alarm sensors in them," Dennis said, in his usual high pitched tone of excitement. "And which paths were safe changed every time."

"So how could you tell which paths you could use?" Frisk asked.

"We were on our fourth attempt before we figured that out," Colin told her. "Malcolm had to spot them, little markings near the floor. They were a dark red device, maybe some kind of muggle sensor."

Frisk was slightly grumpy with the term, but let it go. "And you did it!" She said, smiling. "Good for you. So how did you meet the Slytherins?"

"Potions. You suggested at the beginning of the term that we try to partner up with someone from Slytherin. And we did," Asriel said. "It wasn't that bad. Malcolm was almost as nervous as Chara was. He hadn't found anyone to partner up with right away, so when I stepped up, he was surprised enough to say yes."

"Mafalda came to me," Chara said. "I think she did the math and realized there were going to be one left over. So she decided to try to partner up with the Gryffindor with..." she gave a wry smile, "with the most important sounding last name. Since Asriel had already found someone, that meant me. But that's okay, she's good to work with, even if she talks my ear off with all the gossip."

Frisk finally picked a plate of food from the table. "I'm glad to know that. You're keeping up with your homework, too?" She had to duck as a carrot flew in her direction.

* * *

It was the Wednesday morning of the second Triwizard task. They had all filed down to, of all places, the giant, dark Black Lake that sat on the approach to Hogwarts. Stands had been erected all along the lake, and the whole school was filing onto them. Frisk found her friends, and climbed up about half way. They were all wearing their heavy cloaks, because it was bitterly cold that February morning. Frisk, Ginny, Steven, and Opal tried to keep to the middle of the stands, the better to be out of the wind. Her siblings were a bit further below, with some of their first year classmates.

"Who's great idea," Opal asked through chattering teeth, wrapped under her fuzzy blue blanket, "was it to hold a triwizard task out on the lake in the middle of February?"

Frisk didn't know. She was just glad Opal was sharing her blanket. It was frigid out here. And what's worse, it looked like Harry Potter was late. They could see the other three champions sitting by the judge's table, but there wasn't any sign of him.

Fred and George were picking their way through the crowd. "Anyone want to wager anything on the match?" Frisk looked at them, and shook her head. "Offering up even odds on either Harry or Cedric, three to one odds on Krum or Fleur coming first. Don't bet anything you can't afford to lose, though," he advised.

Ginny gave them a hard look, and was about to say something, when Opal spoke first. "I'll take that bet," she said, searching through her pocket. "Two sickles on Cedric!"

"I'll put a sickle on Krum, just for fun," Steven added.

"Glad we raised the odds on the other two," one of the twins said.

"Or we'd be getting no bets on them," the other agreed, making a note on some paper, handing them some sort of receipt, and taking their Sickles. "Thanks!" and they moved on try to get other bettors. Ginny just sighed and shook their head.

It was another ten minutes before Steven announced, "There he is, finally." He pointed back towards the castle path.

Harry was coming sprinting up the path. He had barely the time to catch his breath before Bagman started announcing. "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will begin on my whistle. They have precisely an hour..." Frisk noted Opal checking her watch. "...to recover what's been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One, two, three!" And a sharp whistle pierced the air.

"What's he doing?" Frisk asked. Fleur and Cedric had both conjured some sort of bubble around their heads, making themselves look like some sort of astronaut. Krum had partially transfigured himself into something that looked like a large menacing fish. But Harry was just standing in the shallows, perhaps waiting for something.

Opal had brought out something that looked like small binoculars. "Birthday present from my parents," she explained. "Omnioculars." She held them up to her eyes. "I just wish I could get them to figure out we're not at a quidditch match anymore. But, I think Harry just swallowed something."

"Oh! I know! It's Gillyweed!" Frisk turned around to see Neville sitting behind her. "It's a Mediterranean Sea plant, you find it around Sicily or Corsica. And you use can use it to grow Gills. It's kind of dangerous, though, since it blocks up your nose and mouth. You can drown on dry land if you use it wrong."

"Really?" Frisk said, impressed with Neville's herbology knowledge. She started staring into the dark water before coming to a realization, "Wait. How is this exciting? Can anyone see what's going on under the water?" As if they heard her, the five judges raised their wands as one, and cast some sort of charm on the water, turning the normally dark water crystal clear. They could watch as the champions head out towards the deeper parts of the lake.

At about fifteen minutes in, they saw them each get attacked by a group of small, aquatic creatures. "Could those be grindylows?" Frisk said. "Didn't Professor Lupin have one of those in his office? I can't see very well."

"I think so," said Opal, staring through her omnioculars. "But they're getting too far even for these things. But, wait, Fleur's coming back already! I think she's bleeding!"

Opal was right. Fleur was forced up to the surface by the grindylows. It was too far for Frisk to tell, but Madame Maxine had cast some sort of enchantment, and was walking directly across the water towards her student. She lifted her up bodily, and when they returned to shore, Fleur was set down gingerly. From the way Madam Pomfrey was already moving, Frisk could tell that Fleur was, in fact, covered in some deep looking cuts and nasty bruises.

"She's crying," Opal reported. "I can't tell what she's saying, but Madam Pomfrey is seeing to her wounds."

"Can you see the others?" Steven asked, grumpily. Frisk felt the same way. If this was the show they were going to get, she might as well sneaked a couple extra hours of sleep.

"No," Opal told him. "They're just too far away." Frisk grumbled and pulled the blanket closer to her.

As time ticked on, there was an increase of panicked noises coming from behind them. After the third time Neville asked how long they'd been down, Ginny was finally motivated enough to ask him, "Neville, what's wrong?"

"Gillyweed only lasts about an hour in fresh water. It's a salt water plant, Harry might be drowning! He said someone was trying to kill him! Why isn't someone doing something?" he said, his voice frantic. Ginny looked over in alarm.

"Dumbledore's watching," Opal put her hand up, trying to soothe them. "He's cocked his head, I think he's curious about something, but he doesn't look worried."

About five minutes after the hour was up, Cedric broke the surface, pulling out a raven haired girl that Frisk didn't recognize, and they both began to swim to shore. A few minutes after that, the fishy head of whatever creature Krum had transfigured himself into came into view with...

"Is that Hermione?" Frisk asked as Krum got back to the shore.

"Huh," Steven said. "I'd have thought she would have been Harry's hostage."

"Hostage?" Frisk asked, alarmed before thinking better of it.

"Goal?" Steven suggested. Behind them, Neville was making strangled noises. "I don't think Dumbledore would put non-champions into any real danger. I think it was to see how the champions would react, and give it an element of urgency."

When Dumbledore rose to his feet, moving to get into the water, Frisk thought Neville had been right all along. But a few seconds afterward, the fourth champion's head bobbed to to the surface with two other heads. Both Neville, and Ginny let out large sighs of relief. Dumbledore returned to his seat as the three of them swam toward shore.

"Ginny," Opal said, "I think that's Ron." If Ron hadn't been moving under his own power, Frisk thought Ginny would have had a panic attack. "Your brother, the one who works for the ministry, is seeing to him.

"Percy's there?" Ginny said, sounding relieved. "Oh, good. Percy's there."

"I think the other one is Fleur's sister. Look at her!" Frisk said, pointing at Fleur trying to break away from Madam Pomfrey. She finally did so, going to embrace the bemused Harry.

As all this was going on, four of the five judges were in a huddle, and Percy joined them after seeing to Ron. "What are they talking about?" asked Opal. The others turned to look at her, and her omnioculars, pretty much as a group. "I can't tell what they're saying!" she protested.

As it turned out, they were discussing the scores. Cedric took the win with forty eight points, with Harry coming in second, Krum third, and Fleur, surprising no one, in a distant fourth. "That was exciting," Frisk complained as they made their way up to the castle.

"Would you rather have had class?" Steven asked, then added quickly. "Don't answer that. I think I would have rather had class too. At least we have the rest of the morning free."

* * *

The calendar had turned to March. The weather had started to get warmer, turning the previously snowy grounds into wide tracks of limp grass and mud. The Easter holidays were on the horizon, but not yet close enough to really look forward to. The challenge shields were, if Frisk had to guess, not quite half way complete. They'd found another one, something of a logic puzzle about potions of five different colors (set on five trays in front of them), made to cure five different kinds of maladies, needing to be delivered to five different patients. The had esoteric clues like "Bertha Babbage didn't need the red potion, nor did she need the antidote."

Frisk had seen something like that before, in a book of puzzles Sans had bought for his brother. So she knew how to start this challenge at least. There had been a handy chalkboard in the room, so she drew a grid out, labeling each row and column, and they worked through it. Steven enjoyed it, and Frisk liked the way they threw ideas out, but it moved a little slowly for Opal.

This particular Monday had her trying to cram for a Charms quiz, when she was distracted by an entire parliament of owls flying in over their heads, and dropped a large handful of letters in front of Hermione Granger. "What's that about?" Frisk asked.

"Search me," Asriel asked, craning his neck to stare up the table. "That is a lot of letters."

Frisk went back to her notes, until Hermione suddenly let out a shriek of pain. "What just happened?" she asked, standing, moving up the table. Hermione's breathing was coming in short bursts.

Ron was carefully holding up the edge of an envelope, sniffing at it. "Undiluted bubotuber pus!" he exclaimed.

Without asking, Frisk grabbed a goblet of orange juice from in front of a fourth year she didn't know and pushed it toward Hermione. "Trust me! Madam Pomfrey told me! Vinegar, or orange juice, for someone who's gotten bubotuber pus on their hands!"

Hermione stared at Frisk for a moment. She held her hands over the table, and let Frisk pour the orange juice over her hands. Immediately, her breathing slowed and normalized. "Thanks, Frisk," Hermione said. "Lucky for me that you volunteer in the hospital wing."

"You still ought to go see Madam Pomfrey," Frisk said. "It's probably not the best idea to use orange juice someone was drinking from, uh, I apologize." The fourth year gave her a bemused shrug, and reached out to get a fresh goblet.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Ron asked, looking worried.

"I think I'll be okay," Hermione said, though there was still ugly looking marks on her now dripping hands. "Just tell Professor Sprout where I am?" she asked, as she stood, making her way out of the great hall.

"We will," Harry Potter promised.

Frisk watched her leave, before turning back to the table. "Where did that pus come from, anyway?" Ron was trying to wipe it away, but it still oozed and bubbled on the table. "Might need a cloth."

"Ever hear of Rita Skeeter?" Ron asked. "Nasty woman who writes articles for Witch Weekly." Frisk had heard that name before. At the world cup, and then afterward at the minister's office, when her parents got the Order of Merlin awarded. "She wrote an article about Hermione dumping Harry on Friday, and this was the result," Ron told her.

Frisk blinked. "Wait, were you two actually dating?" She wasn't really up on Gryffindor gossip, but she thought she'd have heard of that.

Harry sighed, probably realizing that Frisk was the first in a long line of people about to ask that question. "No. We weren't. Hermione is my friend, but that's it. I promise."

"I believe you," Frisk said.

As she went back to her seat, she could hear Ron complaining about how he'd warned Hermione to not test Rita Skeeter. Not that their friend deserved it, but they weren't in a position to do anything about it, and it was fruitless to try to fight her.

During their morning break, Frisk detoured down to the hospital wing see how Hermione was doing. It wasn't that she wanted to skive off from History of Magic (though, she did wonder if the ghost professor Binns would notice her absent), but wanted to make she had done the right thing.

"Hey, Frisk," Hermione said as she came in. She had her hands resting in some some sort of liquid that Frisk wasn't sure she recognized. "Thank you again for what happened at breakfast."

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office at Frisk's name. "You remembered orange juice!" she exclaimed, sweeping Frisk into her arms for a moment. "That makes you better than two of the last three defense against the dark arts teachers!"

Hermione choked a bit, laughing. "I'm glad she did. You said this would have been much worse

if she hadn't."

"And it would have," the matron confirmed. "How are your hands feeling? The murtlap essence doing its work?" She walked over to Hermione, looking at the student's hands critically. "Another ten or fifteen minutes, I think. Then we can bind them up."

"Do you have any way of figuring out who sent the letter?" Frisk asked. "And I'm surprised Ron and Harry aren't here."

"Dumbledore has the envelope, but I don't know if there's anything to work with," Madam Pomfrey said, a dark cloud passing over her face. Frisk could hear the restraint in her voice. Angry might be been an understatement.

"I was supposed to have Herbology, then Care of Magical Creatures, so I doubt they even made it inside," Hermione said. She continued, less restrained but no less angry.. "It's that Rita Skeeter! I'm going to find out how she's getting this information if it's the last thing I do."

"Don't let it be that," Frisk said, "But, I better run to History of Magic. But I'm glad to know you're okay, more or less Hermione. See you later!" and with that, Frisk headed out the door, needing to race to class to get there by the bell.

 _A/N: The game mentioned in the last chapter is a real world game called Dominion. Other things may have been recognizable too. ;)_


	21. Pick A Universe

On the surface, it was a warm day for the middle of March. The birds hadn't quite come back to the United Kingdom, and the flowers were probably only thinking of sprouting, but otherwise, it was a beautiful day. Not that one could tell in the underground, Kurt Kairos mused. But that was okay. The experiences with Sans in these 'Possibilities' were more interesting.

Since he'd taken the last trip, he had begun researching the failed attempts of time travel that had gotten the subject banned in the Department of Mysteries. Specifically, he wanted to figure out what could have happened that could have torn Doctor Gaster from the universe, and from the memory of everyone except Sans.

Not surprisingly, he didn't have a lot to go on. If someone recursively conjured themselves out of existence, why would there be any record of it? But if Sans could remember his father, couldn't there be something out there somewhere? He'd taken to researching the long term care area of St. Mungos. It was unusual, but not unheard of, for prophets to be misdiagnosed as insane, so sometimes the more out there of their ramblings were recorded just in case.

It had been challenging to get a hold of them. He had to be careful about saying it was for the department of mysteries, as he really didn't want people looking into why he was asking. It was four o'clock on the Friday before their next trip, and he had nothing else to do but go through some of the reports.

There were a few that caught his eye. One was from a gentleman in the long term ward who claimed to have gone back in time and killed his own grandfather. This wasn't particularly likely, at least not in a way that actually caused a paradox, since time tended towards stabilizing loops. Like the one he'd helped maintain last year with Chara Dreemurr's body. This character was more likely an actual lunatic.

There was another, a young woman who kept insisting that she had to go back in time to tell her house elf to let her, and a friend, out of a car boot they'd gotten themselves trapped in. This, technically speaking, was plausible, as it implied an already stable loop. But she refused to say who the other person was, leading the healers to suspect it was some type of criminal. At some point, the unspeakables would probably have to research the claim. Kurt put it on his to do list, but it wasn't what he was looking for this afternoon.

Kurt shoved the sheaf of papers aside, listening to the clock tick down towards quitting time and sighed. There might be something in here, but if there was, he couldn't find it. He'd just have to see where this particular route was going to take him. Besides, if something really was going to wrong, he'd have left himself a message, right? He'd keep looking, but didn't have too much hope.

It was still warm the next day when Kurt apparated himself onto the snowy plateau in front of Mt. Ebott. Sans, as usual, was already there. He stood, wearing the same blue hoodie and smiling face that he always did. Kurt, on the other hand, was wearing a light jacket and was happy about it. It was the first time that year that Kurt hadn't had to bring his heavy cloak.

"ready?" Sans asked as Kurt looked around, regaining his bearings.

"Yes," Kurt told him, and they made their way past where the barrier used to be. Once past the barrier, Kurt probably could have safely apparated wherever they needed to go, but there wasn't any way a healer could get to them if he went and splinched himself. So it was time to walk again. "Where are we headed to this time?" he asked, as they collected the machine from the king's old throne room.

"not far this time," Sans said. "new home." His eyelights glinted. "which is the other side of the underground from, 'home'. right here, in fact." He caught Kurt's raised eyebrow. "asgore is good at a lot of things, but he hates coming up with names."

Kurt set the machine in motion, and they headed off. Sans led him to a stairwell near the elevator into the M.T.T. resort, and down stairs into New Home proper. New Home was a cathedral short of being a proper city. It was much bigger then Snowden village. Kurt followed the skeleton into an alley between a bakery and a restaurant. "That's probably as much seclusion as we're going to get. Shall we set up?"

Sans nodded to him. Kurt dispelled the locomotion spell, and they went about putting the fragile parts back into the machine. "alright," Sans said, "let's get this machine up to eighty eight miles per hour, and we'll see some serious..."

"What?" Kurt asked, staring at him. "You haven't put a motor in this thing, have you? It doesn't move that way, does it?" From the way Sans eyes just kept glinting at him, Kurt got the distinct impression that Sans was just messing with him now.

"sorry," Sans said. Though he didn't really sound sorry at all. "gonna have to add a movie to your muggle education. you ready to go back to the future?"

Kurt grumbled, but said he was. So they climbed into the machine as Sans consulted his notes. The monster recorded the new home coordinates from the readings, and set the destination. Shortly thereafter, they were off. And then they were there, such was the nature of time travel.

They had arrived in the alternate New Home. It looked a lot different with all of the monsters milling about. Kurt could see some talking eagerly, some going into shops, some heading into what must have been in their homes. "There seems to be a lot of excitement in the air, Sans?" Kurt looked over to the skeleton. Sans already had his phone out. "What are you doing with that, Sans?" he asked.

"checking something," Sans told him.

"How are you doing that?" Kurt asked. "You've checked that phone each time we've gone searching for anomalies. I thought muggles just used those phones for long distance speech communication. What are you looking at?"

"never seen a smartphone before, either?" Sans said, his eyelights glinting. "wizards really ought to keep up with muggle technology. i'm looking on undernet, the social network of the underground. mostly checking to see if anyone's..." and his voice began to slow, "posted about frisk…" He looked up, "they're at the barrier. Alphys just posted. it's down. let's go, i want to see this." Sans rushed back to the stairs, while Kurt got his disillusionment cloak on. At the top, he took one step east, then realized something, and ran to the west toward an elevator, with Kurt hurrying to keep up.

After they emerged on the elevator, Kurt followed the still running Sans through the garden, and into a short hallway. Kurt, panting now, realized he recognized this place. It was the tunnel into the mountain that led onto mountain ledge where he'd met Dumbledore and the students last year. They peeked cautiously around the corner, and could see seven people standing, staring toward the city. Frisk, Toriel, another Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore.

"i think it was about five minutes before the wizards came," Sans said. "kind of like to see that again,"

So they watched, and eventually they were interrupted by a voice from behind them. "There's more than one of you?" a child's voice asked. "That explains a lot. But where did the human come from?"

Kurt, startled, looked behind him at the golden flower that pierced the ground. He must have been coming to watch Frisk and his family leave the underground. And he'd pierced his disillusionment cloak. "Asriel," he said. The flower stared at him, not expecting to be called by that name. "We're actually not from around here."

"eh, can just tell him, i think," Sans said, turning to look at the flower. "we're from a different timeline."

"What?" The flower asked, surprised. "How did you do that?" Kurt was about to explain the machine, when he was interrupted by Flowey's fearful exclamation. "Wait, what are those?"

Kurt turned, expecting to see a swarm of ministry wizards all coming to see what had caused the barrier to fall. In fact, he could have even seen himself, he had been part of that 'all hands' request. He didn't remember seeing himself, but he had been kind of distracted.

What Kurt was not expecting to see was four humanoids. The most normal one was a human child, not any taller than Frisk, with a red shirt with bright yellow star in the center. But the other three were strange. There was a slightly taller woman with grey hair but bright purple skin. It kind of looked human. The second was a woman with extremely pale skin, and bright blue eyes. The final one was a tall woman, maybe not quite Asgore's height, wearing some kind of purple breastplate, a crystal visor, but Kurt could see behind it, there were three eyes there. "Sans?" Kurt whispered. "What are those?"

"i have absolutely no idea," Sans said. "this didn't happen. this isn't one of our loops. it can't be."

Asgore's voice rumbled through the tunnel, causing Flowey to cry in alarm. "Why are you still here?" he demanded. "It's been thousands of years – this world does not belong to you!"

Frisk peeked out from behind Asgore, much to the delight of the other human. She didn't speak, but signed instead. "what's the matter?" asked the Sans from outside the cave. "thought i taught you how to greet a new pal." There was a pause. "i asked toriel, ya know. you were never this sheepish with her."

The Sans watching from the cave snickered. Kurt rolled his eyes, Toriel was goat like, not sheeplike. There was a brief pause from the outside. "Well, I don't know much about monsters and wars and stuff, but I say, welcome to, uh, up here, I guess!" There was another pause, and Asgore said something that Kurt couldn't hear.

"I think you all look like a ton of fun," the human continued, then pointed to the skeleton that Frisk is still hiding behind. "Except you. 'Cause I think you look like a skele-TON of skele-FUN!"

Sans broke into laughter, but Kurt just sighed. The outdoor Sans held out his hand for the human to shake. Kurt knew what was coming next, and covered his ears. Out of the corner his eye, he saw Flowey close his eyes in frustration. After a few more minutes, the group began to walk down the mountain. Flowey waved a stem as they departed. Kurt didn't know if a flower could cry, but this one was trying.

"Huh," Kurt said. "That wasn't what it was like for us. I'm glad it worked out for them. I don't know what we would have done if it hadn't. I don't feel comfortable interfering in a different timeline like this."

"Sans?" Flowey asked in quiet voice, "In your timeline, does Frisk remember me?"

Sans stared into space for a moment, then knelt down, looking into Flowey's face. "your frisk may not be the frisk i call my friend. but i can tell you this: our frisk never forgot you, and may Papyrus not forgive me if i'm lying, but frisk won't give up until she finds a way to save you. and i mean you, asriel. in my timeline, she found a way to bring you home. does that sound like the frisk you know?"

"Yes," Flowey said, looking out into the sunlit plateau. Kurt looked at the flower. It was looking away from both of them. There was something Flowey wasn't saying, though Sans didn't push it, and Kurt didn't know what it could be. After another few seconds, Flowey looked back to them, "What are you looking for?

"Doctor Gaster," Kurt said. "The Doctor of our timeline did something to scatter himself across these 'Possibilities'. We've found two pieces so far, and we believe the third in this timeline, probably in Newhome somewhere."

"I don't remember a Doctor Gaster," Flowey admitted. "But I can feel the others coming, and it probably wouldn't be good for either of us to be found here. So, goodbye." He smiled at them. "And good luck!" With that, the flower disappeared into the earth. If he was anything like the Flowey from their native timeline, he probably would be heading back to the sunlit room.

Once Flowey was gone, Kurt pulled off the disillusionment cloak, looking it over to make sure the enchantment hadn't faded. It didn't seem to, so maybe there was something about Flowey that made him immune. Or perhaps, being seen with a second Sans made him more open about what he might find, thus less susceptible to the charm. While he was doing that, Sans pulled out his device and began to sweep the area. "i think it's back towards the machine. let's go."

There were monsters beginning to stream toward them. Kurt had to stay close to the skeleton, so that nobody ran into him. But at least he wasn't spotted again. When they got to the elevator, the stream of monsters slowed, but didn't stop. They skipped the elevator, it was in use anyway, and they were pretty sure there would be a mob on the other side.

Instead, they climbed up into Asgore's house. A few monsters were going the other way, walking towards the barrier. Most must have been waiting to take the elevator. It was probably quicker than walking. Instead of heading out the front door though, Sans led Kurt down a hallway to the second door. "from what torii told me, this was the children's room when they lived here," Sans said, pushing the door open.

It did, in fact, look like a children's room. There were two small beds, one on each side of the room. Toys, covered with a light amount of dust sat on one of beds. A drawing of a golden flower was over the other one. A closet, still full of child sized clothing, stood open in in the back of the room. Sans walked into the middle of the room, turning his device all around him in a circle. In the end, he pointed at the closet. "there," he said, opening the drawer at the bottom of the dresser.

"That can't be right, can it?" Kurt asked. "It's another hand, does he really have more than two hands? There's got to be a mistake. This is a piece of some other timeline's Doctor, isn't it?"

Sans's eyelights focused on the device in his hand, then turned to the skeletal hand in front of him, still sitting in the drawer. "actually, it kind of makes sense. we called Doctor Gaster 'the man who speaks in hands.' he had these constructs, these hands, that he controlled mentally, and assisted him with his work. i'm guessing that's what we've found, but i think these constructs absorbed his essence, his soul, when he was blown apart. if we can find the last one, and bring them to him, maybe... just maybe, we can bring him back."

Kurt wasn't sure what to think about that. Sans seemed confident, and he really didn't know anything else about Gaster. There wasn't even a photograph left. So he mentally shrugged. "Is there anything else we need to do in this timeline?" Kurt asked.

"don't think so. let's get back to the machine, carefully, and go home."

* * *

"Defense isn't that bad of a class, Chara," Asriel told her as they headed up the stairs to class after lunch. He was right, kind of. It wasn't the material that bothered her. Chara sighed, turned down the hall, and joined their fellow Gryffindors heading into Mad Eye Moody's classroom.

The former auror was already there, counting heads to make sure all students were present and accounted for. Once he was satisfied all the chairs were full, he closed the door and walked among the class, collecting last week's homework, trading it for graded work from two weeks ago.

"Ten out of ten, again?" Asriel asked. He looked impressed. "I can't seem to get more then nine. Not that I'm complaining, I mean," he looked down, embarrassed at sounding envious.

"We did it at the same time," Chara reminded him. "We traded notes, I don't know why I keep..." they quieted down. Moody had finished collecting homework, and was now fixing them with his magical eye.

"We'll be covering your first jinx today," Moody growled, allowing his magical eye to wander the class. "The knock-back jinx. It's also just called 'Flipendo', which is the incantation for casting it. It's a simple enough spell." he continued. "Who's brave enough to be to be my volunteer?"

A few hands went up around the room, including Asriel's. Chara averted her eyes, looking anywhere in the room except at the professor. There was silence for a few seconds, long enough for Chara to note, out of the corner of her vision, Moody was looking directly at her with his normal eye. "Fine, come up here, Mr. Dreemurr."

Chara looked up as Asriel was already standing up. He joined Moody in the area in front of his desk. "Stand just there, Mr. Dreemurr," Moody growled. "You lot, move your desks over, create a space. It's not called the knock-back jinx for nothing."

The others made scraping noises pushing their desks out of range, and Asriel set his feet. Moody turned suddenly, flourishing his wand, "Flippendo!" he called, pointing his wand directly at Asriel's chest with a loud **bang!**

Asriel reacted if he'd been punched in the gut. Fur flew, and Asriel took two steps wobbly steps backward before setting himself. His breathing was momentarily quick and shallow before recovering.

"Not too harmful on its own. Right, Mr. Dreemurr?" Moody asked. Asriel nodded, still getting his breath back. "But it can be the set up for something much more deadly. And that's why you need **Constant Vigilance!** Now divide into pairs, and push those desks to the wall. I'll show you the motions, and then we'll practice.

Chara hurried over to Asriel. "Are you hurt?" she asked. She was wondering if a monster's physical weakness would make even this mild jinx dangerous.

"I feel fine," Asriel said. He nodded back at Moody, who was demonstrating the motion. Afterward, they practice on each other. It took Chara a few tries, and Asriel a few more tries, but they eventually got the hang of it.

About fifteen minutes before the bell rang, Moody came over to watch them specifically. "Lighter grip on the wand, Ms. Dreemurr," he advised. "You're not trying to choke it, and the tightest grip in the world won't protect you from an expelliarmus jinx. It'll give you better control when your aiming."

"Alright, professor," Chara said, feeling unnerved.

The professor watched them for another few minutes before moving away again. As the bell was about to ring, he had them move the desks back. He added a few last comments, and dismissed them.

"He never has any advice for you," Chara pointed out to Asriel, "Why? Do you think he knows who I am?"

"No," Asriel scoffed. "Didn't you hear what he did to Draco Malfoy? And you remember what he said at the beginning of last term, right? The one thing he hated more than any other was a Death Eater. You should relax. He's a good teacher."

"I guess," said Chara. "I just wish I knew what... it doesn't matter. Let's get to class."

 _A/N: If you haven't read it, go to AO3 and look up Universetale for a hilarious crossover in its own right. Maybe more hits will get the author updating again. I can dream._


	22. Caught Out

The calendar was about to turn to April, and Scotland's weather had finally remembered it was supposed to be getting warmer. It hadn't gotten warm yet, but it was getting there. Frisk and her friends had elected to spend the Saturday out of doors, practicing their flying once again. As much as Asriel enjoyed it, it still felt like they did the same thing every week. They'd started with running laps again. This still got them odd looks, but at least Asriel felt he was improving. He no longer felt winded after just two laps around the castle. Of course, this meant Opal was now pushing them through four laps, but still.

Then it was on to the Quidditch pitch for some flying lessons. The pitch had been torn up by Hagrid a few weeks back (much to Opal's consternation), but according to Madam Hooch, there wasn't any reason they couldn't use it for flying practice. They flew, just throwing the quaffle around for a while. They couldn't try to score any goals, the posts had been taken down. Which is why, after a while, Chara had asked the flying instructor if they could try taking the bludgers out and practice with them. "Not real ones, I'm afraid, but I can get some unenchanted ones for you toss to each other," The instructor told them.

"That'll be fine, Madam Hooch," Chara told her, as she eagerly collected the offered balls and bats from the supply shed. So, they took it turn to gently toss the harder bludgers at each other, while the receiver tried to defend themselves with the bats. She handed one of them to Asriel. While the quaffle was a red leather ball with a bit of give to it, making it good for throwing and catching, the bludger was a black, hollow, iron ball with a reasonable amount of weight to it. Asriel was guessing it weighed about five to ten pounds.

To no one's great surprise, Opal was the best at 'Beating' the bludgers back, hitting for both accuracy and power, sending them speeding off to distant parts of the pitch, and a few times, where the stands would normally be.

"That could be dangerous to the people watching," Frisk said, diving gently down to retrieve the errant ball.

"The regular ones are enchanted to not go outside the pitch, no matter how hard you hit them," Ginny said. "Hit me, Frisk!" Asriel's sister looked upward at the older girl, grinned, and hurled the bludger toward her as hard her as she could (which may have not been that hard). Ginny leaned backward, and effortlessly clubbed the bludger in Opal's general direction. Opal took the challenge for what it was, and countered the streaking bludger. The intent was probably to hit it back at Ginny, but Opal wasn't really positioned for that, and it went flying off the other way instead.

"I've got it!" Asriel shouting, registering Steven's echoing shout slightly too late. The crash that came afterward made the rest of the group wince.

All in all, it was a pretty enjoyable morning. So they headed back to the castle for lunch, and after some sandwiches, and then took over one end of the Gryffindor table for a large game of exploding snap. In the middle of the third game, the large shadow of Professor Hagrid fell over the table. The group fell silent, as the snap cards decided at that moment to explode, scattering themselves over the table.

"Eh, sorry, didn't mean te distract yeh," Hagrid told them apologetically. He looked somewhat nervous at the large group, something Asriel didn't really understand. He was a teacher, wasn't he? "Eh, Dreemurrs? Yeh have a guest waiting for you out by my cabin. I wasn't expecting him this afternoon, but he was really hopeful you might be free."

"Oh," Asriel said before thinking about it, "Dubran's here?" He looked at his sisters before Steven interrupted.

"Dubran?" he asked, frowning. "Who's that? It doesn't sound like any of the monster names I've heard of. Wait, was he the centaur?" His eyes went wide for a second, "The chief's son? Can I meet him?"

"Eh, dunno if that's a good idea," Hagrid began.

"He wanted the chance to have friends," Asriel said, looking up at the care of magical creatures professor, though he still seemed hesitant. "And these are my friends."

To the side, Asriel could see Chara glancing towards Frisk. Frisk on the other hand was nodding her agreement. "But Steven," Frisk said, "One of the reasons he looks at us as friends is to get away from being the chief's son," She gave him a soft smile. "Just be yourself, it's worked with us."

"It's more about that Skeeter woman. She's been on the lookout te cause trouble," Hagrid said. Asriel had heard all of about that, and she wasn't I'd rather she not notice we've a centaur on the grounds."

"And all six of us going to your cabin at once would be pretty noticeable, especially with all the people outside," Steven followed. "That's easy enough, we just come two at a time. She probably wouldn't notice two students, would she?"

Hagrid looked at Steven, cocking his head for a moment. "Yeh, I guess that'd work out. Give me a minute or two, then, come along, I guess. There'll be more of yeh than fit in my hut, so meet us around back, right near the forest." He winked. "See yeh there." And he headed out toward the entrance hall.

Asriel stood almost before the door had closed behind the half-giant. "Come on, Steven," Asriel said, heading back outside. "We can go first," he said excitedly. "Come on!"

"Asriel," Frisk said, "He said give him a minute or two. What are you going to do when we get there?"

"Uh. We could go get a quaffle from the broom cupboard. We don't have to be on a broom to throw a ball around," suggested Opal.

"That's a good idea," Frisk said. "No, wait one more second," she added. "When you meet Dubran, please act like you've met centaurs before. His father says that wizards think that centaurs are inferior. That's coming out wrong, but just treat him as one of us, please?"

Steven nodded. "Makes sense to me," He told Frisk. And they, finally, were on their way out. Asriel got a quaffle from the broom closet, and went to join Hagrid, Dubran, and as it turned out, Firenzie as well.

"Asriel!" Dubran called as he approached. "And who is that?" he said, looking at Steven warily.

"This is Steven Marsh," Asriel introduced. "He was," he aborted that thought. He wasn't supposed to share that he had part of seven human's souls. "He's been a good friend of mine. Steven, this is Dubran, the son of the Centaur chief. Hey, Dubran!" he said suddenly, and threw the ball at him.

Dubran put his hands in front of himself, catching the quaffle mostly in self defense. He looked at the ball, then at Asriel, and hurled it back at him. Asriel caught it, laughing. They talked about their last month, including the Triwizard tournament, as Frisk and Opal eventually joined them. After Frisk introduced Opal, it wasn't that much long for Chara and Ginny to round out the throng.

"What else could we do?" Chara asked, after they'd thrown the ball around for a while, and the others of the group that had.

"I wish I'd known we'd have this," Opal said, looking around at the group. "I could have asked my dad to send me a rounders ball, bat, and some gloves. Uh, I could go get a bludger and bat, and hit that for a while?" she suggested. "I know we just did that in the air, but it'd be new for you."

"Or I could ask Firenze to pull out the bows we brought," offered Dubran. "Have any of you practiced archery before?"

"Oh! I've always wanted to do that," exclaimed Opal. "That'd be fun too!"

"You're our guest here," Frisk said, looking up at the centaur and smiling. "What would you like to do, Dubran? She asked.

He considered for a moment, "I like trying new things. Can we try the bat thing?"

"I'll go get it," Ginny volunteered, picking up the quaffle, and heading back towards the quidditch pitch.

"What is rounders?" Dubran asked Opal.

"Oh! Rounders is a bat and ball game. Dad says it's a lot like American baseball, which he actually likes better." Opal began. "Basically, a bowler throws the ball at a member of the offensive team, who attempts to hit it back into the field. The defensive team tries to catch it, or failing that, throw it to the 'base' the batsman runs to before he gets there."

"That sounds complicated," Dubran frowned, "Opal, right? I'll remember your names eventually!"

"It's not that bad," Opal told him, grinning. "We can't really play it now though, I wouldn't want to try to catch a bludger without a really good glove, maybe not even then. They're iron, after all."

Ginny came back to the group after a few minutes, and handed the bat to Dubran. "It's only fair that you should go first. Opal? Want to throw it?"

Opal did so, and they were off again. It took Dubran several swings to get the timing right, but once he did, he was managing to club the ball a good ways down the forest border. After the third time they chased down a ball, Opal had the group organize themselves away in fielding positions. It wasn't as far out as a rounders ball might be hit, but it was still a decent ways. They didn't try to catch the ball, either.

"Turn your shoulders as you swing," Opal suggested before Dubran's last few swings. "You'll get a bit more power that way." They cycled around, everyone getting a turn to pitch and swing. Then there was a break, as Firenzie and Hagrid brought out some tea from his hut.

"How have you been, Dubran?" Asriel asked. He sipped his drink, the warm tea in the cooling afternoon. "Is it any better at home?"

"No," Dubran. "Father still complains that wizards see us as half-horses, not worth bothering with. That they'd refuse to ever teach us the secrets of magic, so to Hades with them."

"I hope we're proving otherwise," Steven said. "I'm really glad to have the chance to have met you,"

Asriel looked down at the ground guiltily, feeling his wand in his pocket. "I know there are humans who feel the same way about monsters," he said. "But there's enough of them out there that I was able to get my chance. I think if he'd just give humans a chance, I mean," he fumbled for his words. "There are some really good ones, too. Like my friends."

"I think you are right, young Asriel," Firenze said. "Staying isolated won't change anyone's mind. That's why I'm so proud that you've wanted to keep coming back. And I'm glad you have been such good friends for him."

"Do you need to be going soon?" Chara asked. "Or do we have time for something else?" she added quickly.

"Father said he'd be gone all day," Dubran said. "I'm sure we have plenty of time!" Firenze looked uncomfortable for a moment, before looking at Dubran and shrugging to himself.

"I'd love to try shooting a bow," Opal said. "I've never done that before! Especially if you're willing to teach me!"

"I'd be happy to," Dubran told her, "Where's the bows we brought, Firenze?" he asked. The older centaur got them out, handing a smaller bow to Opal, and a larger one for Dubran.

Opal took some initial practice shots first, at a target that Firenze had hung on a tree. Her strength was good, better than the others, but her accuracy left quite a bit to be desired. "Look down the shaft," Dubran said. "You'll have better luck if you hold the bow like this," he said, demonstrating his grip.

"I didn't want to believe it," said a voice from deep within the forest. Dubran froze, turning suddenly to stare into the Dark Forest.

"I thought you said he was hunting," Hagrid whispered, but Firenze could only hold manage a halfhearted shrug. He too was staring into the forest.

"But you are here." Stepping into the light was Dubran's father, Magorian, his hands on a nocked bow. Next to him was Bane, with his arms folded impassively. A number of centaurs stood behind them, all of them with weapons in hand. "And you are teaching the humans our secrets. Where is the traitor that put you up to this?" He looked around, noting Hagrid and Firenze.

"Nobody 'put me up' to this, Father," Dubran protested. "These are my friends!"

"They are humans," Magorian spat. "They are using you, Dubran, and you can't even see it. What has happened to my son?" His tone was neutral, even impassive. But Asriel could see him shaking with barely constrained rage. "Take him," he said to the centaurs around him.

Chara and Asriel reacted as one, planting themselves in front of Dubran in an effort to protect him, drawing their wands. But any magic they were about to try went flying from their minds as they were simply swatted to the ground by two centaurs. They picked up Dubran by the arms, and began to drag him into the forest. Dubran shouted, dragging his rear hooves through the dirt, leaving deep grooves.

" **Those are my students**!" Hagrid roared, charging towards Magorian.

In one smooth, lightning fast motion, Magorian loosed his bow, and Hagrid toppled over, groaning in pain. The students cried in alarm, and rushed over to the professor as Asriel and Chara picked themselves up.

"Blast it, my leg, Magorian," Hagrid snarled. Then it seemed to dawn on him, "Yeh shot me!" He tried to climb to his feet, but pain in his leg was too much for him.

"You have done things for the centaurs in the past, Hagrid," Magorian proclaimed. He drew another arrow, "And I will not overlook that. But as for the traitor..."

"Yeh hurt anyone else on school grounds, yeh nag," Hagrid told him through gritted teeth, "And Dumbledore will hunt yeh."

Magorian stared at Hagrid coldly, but his eyes flicked up to the castle. "Hmph. Then I shall leave. But mark this, if I see any of you in my forest again," and he looked across from Firenze to Hagrid, and every student standing between them. "I will kill you."

Asriel stared at him and focused his concentration. He may not have been a match for Magorian physically, and he may not have known any spells to really effect Magorian. But he was still a monster, and soul magic was _his_ birthright. He felt his soul, patched with the donations of those who had come to save him, colorful and bright. Across from him, Magorian's soul also blossomed into view. It looked, at distance, an extremely dark, almost blood red. A red tainted with black. And... was there something else? Around the soul?

Asriel felt his concentration broken by a hand put on his shoulder. "Don't!" Frisk said, and the souls vanished from view. They had been there for so short of a time that he wasn't sure anyone other than Frisk had seen them. Chara, maybe. "That's never the right answer," Frisk told him quietly.

But as Asriel listened to Magorian's centaurs drag his friend outside of even hearing distance, he had never felt less sure. It had reminded him of the day he was attacked by the humans outside Mt. Ebott, carrying Chara's body. It was easy to endure the attacks when they were attacking himself. It was much harder to do so when they were attacking other people.

Opal, Luna, and Steven were trying to help Hagrid to his feet, but Magorian's arrow must have splintered bone, and the best they could do is help him sit upright.

"I'll go get Madam Pomfrey," Frisk said, and began to run towards the castle.

"Someone should go get Dumbledore, too," Hagrid said. "He needs to know what happened here. Pro'lly in his study, password is Chocolate Frog at the moment."

"I know where that is," Chara said, following Frisk up toward the castle.

Luna had approached Firenze, "Are you alright, Mr. Firenze?" she asked, looking up at him with her unfocused gaze.

"I knew there was a chance this would happen," Firenze said. "I should have been aware when Magorian said he'd be gone the entire day. But Dubran was so excited to have a chance to see his human friends. I couldn't say no."

"But are you alright?" Luna insisted.

"I suppose I am. I am not like the other centaurs. I don't think the same way. I believe that aligning with wizards will do more for our race in the long run, much as it has done for monsters..." he gazed off into the forest. "Apparently, this differing point of view cannot be tolerated any more. Though, I suppose I was taking his child without his permission."

"I'd still be sad," Luna said, "if it were me. Losing everyone I know wouldn't be easy. I hope you feel better."

Firenze turned to Luna and smiled. "That's very kind, thank you."

"What do you think will happen to Dubran?" Asriel asked.

"I do not know," Firenze said. "Despite what it may look like, Magorian loves his son. But I have never seen him act like this."

"Where will you go?" asked Steven.

"I don't know that either," Firenze began.

"He may stay here, if he wishes," said a voice behind them. Striding down the path was headmaster Dumbledore, with Madam Pomfrey not far behind. Chara and Frisk were jogging to keep up with them. "I shall arrange a place for you to stay, indoors or out as you prefer it, Firenze," Dumbledore said. His gaze swept the area, looking for something. It settled on the forest for a moment before moving on. "I wish to talk to them in private," Dumbledore told the students. "You will be welcome to come back later."

"Headmaster," Asriel asked, as the others headed up towards the castle. "Is there anything we can do for Dubran?"

"Not at this time, I think," Dumbledore said. "I will let you know if anything comes to mind."

With a last look at the forest, Asriel joined the rest of his classmates, heading up towards the great hall.

 _A/N: Long note this time around._

 _This story's become incredibly difficult to write, partially because I think it isn't that good. Especially compared to Saviour, which is probably the best thing I've ever written, and may just be the best thing I'll ever write. The separate 'miniplots' which I thought would be interesting, instead bog down any one of them from being too involved, or feeling important. And that's because I never really did come up with a major plot._

 _While the big events in each bit seem important... Magorian discovering his son's "Disloyalty" and banishing Firenzie a year early seem interesting enough, I'm having a harder time writing the smaller, more 'fluffy' pieces, and making them feel interesting which are just as important.  
I really do hope everyone's still enjoying it._

 _See you soon! (Sooner, I hope.)_

 _-John_


	23. Quidditch Raid

After not talking about it at all during dinner, the entire group went back down to see Firenzie again after dinner. They hadn't had to even have to discuss it, they just met outside the main doors. Several them had saved part of tonight's meal. The only reason some didn't was because it had become apparent they were going to be bringing far too much food.

They had arrived near Hagrid's hut to find a second hut had been rapidly built nearby, just on the edge of the Dark Forest. It may not have been quite as tall as Hagrid's, but it was wider. Frisk watched as Asriel took the lead and knocked on the door. Firenzie opened the door, and Frisk's jaw dropped.

Technically speaking, it was a room. It had a roof, and it had walls with widows and a door, that made it a room. But the ceiling had been enchanted the same way the Great Hall's ceiling had been, with blue sky visible as if there hadn't been a roof at all. The floor was covered in thick grass, and it was all so perfectly lit by unseen sources that it felt like the sun was shining from inside. Frisk could see some furniture, a table for eating, a dresser for clothing, and a bookshelf, but it was otherwise mostly empty. "Good evening friends," Firenzie said.

"Are you alright, Firenzie, sir?" Luna asked.

"I think I am, Ms. Luna," he said. "Thank you. It is not quite a home, but it is homey enough for now. Headmaster Dumbledore has provided well for me. And I appreciate that you've come down to see to my well being as well." Firenzie smiled at them.

"Did you get something to eat, too?" Asriel asked, holding up the small container of pudding he'd brought from dinner.

"I did, young Asriel," Firenzie said. "But I appreciate the gesture." Asriel opened his mouth to say something, but Firenzie cut him off. "I am sure young Dubran is on your mind, but there is nothing that I can tell you. I will keep my ears open for anything I can, as I do still have friends in the forest." he told him. "In the meantime, the headmaster says he has a task I can assist with, to return the favor he's shown me this evening."

That pretty much covered anything everything that Frisk had wanted to ask. "If there's anything we can help with," Steven added. "Ask us, please?" He thought for a second. "That reminds me, you wouldn't happen to know why there's only ever one egg in French cooking, would you?"

"I'm not much of a chef, I'm afraid," Firenzie said. "But yes, if there's anything I think you might be able to assist with, I will be sure to ask."

They talked for a while longer, but it was starting to get late, and curfew was going to be upon them soon, so they had to head back up to the castle, and dispersed to their separate common rooms.

The addition of a centaur to the campus of Hogwarts did not go unnoticed for very long. Specifically, it was noticed by Rita Skeeter. " **Second Half-Human Resident at Hogwarts!** " were the very large letters of the Daily Prophet headline.

"No he's not," claimed an irritated Hermione. She showed the headline to Frisk, who had to try to swallow her oatmeal before she could reply. "Centaurs are considered a pure race. This is just mean. I hate Rita Skeeter. I'm going to figure out how she's eavesdropping like this if it's the last thing that I do."

"What else does it say?" Frisk asked, wondering if Rita had caught on to the reason he was there in the first place.

Hermione skimmed the paper and rolled her eyes. "Rita claims he was kicked out for kidnapping the chief's son, and openly speculates why Dumbledore might be harboring a criminal. She goes on to wonder why the chief's son was here in the first place, asking if Dumbledore is angling to try to get around the international wand ban, especially after a monster was allowed to carry a wand." Hermione looked up speculatively. "Maybe that's a good idea. I mean, consider how wizards treat house elves. Maybe it would be better for the magical world if the other races were allowed to use wands."

"Hermione," complained Ron Weasley, sitting on her other side. "Please don't invite Dumbledore to add another chapter of Goblin riots we have to memorize."

"Besides," Chara added from across the table, "At least for the Centaurs, most of them are so arrogant that I'm not sure it's a good idea to start with. I mean, there's a reason they asked for magical beast classification, isn't there?"

"So they wouldn't get lumped in with the Hags and Vampires, wasn't it?" Asriel asked. "Though, maybe that proves what you're saying."

"All the more reason to try to include them," Hermione insisted. "How are they going to believe humans otherwise?"

"Someone has to make the first move,," Frisk said, reaching for the orange juice. "That's why Firenzie was trying to get them out of isolation." The five minute bell rang. So they rapidly finished breakfast, and headed off to their separate classes.

* * *

The Easter holidays were coming up, a fact that seemed to be exciting the younger students more than the older ones. The fifth years were focusing on their OWLs, the seventh years on the NEWTs, and nearly everyone older than Frisk was complaining about overwhelming piles of homework.

"You're keeping up with yours, though, right Frisk?" Madam Pomfrey asked Frisk on the Sunday before break, when she was in the hospital wing. It was one of those rare days when there wasn't anyone to take care of when she came in to the wing, so they were going over some of the common items in the healer's supply cabinet and how to use them efficiently.

"I am, Madam Pomfrey," Frisk said, laughing. "I know what you'd do if I didn't, so don't worry. I'm keeping up."

Frisk was interrupted by the door to the hospital wing opening, and Fred and George Weasley stumbling in. Frisk hurried over to one of the twins, bracing herself as the much taller boy was unsteady on her feet. She looked up to him, and saw a major bruise on his cheek. A quick look of his arms as he steadied himself revealed another pair of circular bruises.

"What happened to you?" Madam Pomfrey asked, assisting the other twin. She sounded startled, and Frisk figured he must look the same way.

"Bludgers," said the first, as Frisk helped him sit down on one of the beds.

"Lots of bludgers," agreed the other, as Madam Pomfrey saw him on another bed.

"Bludgers?" repeated Madam Pomfrey. "But there's no Quidditch games this year. How on earth did you get hit by bludgers? Especially that many of them? And are you Fred or George?"

"I'm Fred," said the one near Madam Pomfrey. "And it was our own fault. There was a set of quidditch goals over in that big open field between the castle and Hagrid's hut. Sign said it would take more than a full team..."

"But we had to see exactly what would happen," explained George. "So we got our brooms and touched the sign, like it said. The sky filled with quidditch balls, quaffles and bludgers anyway. The quaffles were heading away from the goal, while the bludgers started looking for targets.

"And they only found two," Frisk supplied. "I'll get the pain numbing potion," she told the resident healer.

"Right," Fred said. "We got battered pretty good."

"They stopped when we fell off our brooms," George said as Frisk came back with the numbing potion. "So now we just have to try again."

"What?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, spilling a bit of the potion she was measuring out. "Why on Earth would you want to try again?"

"Because it has to be one of the challenges, and it's quidditch related!" George told her.

"Not by ourselves," Fred said. "We're going to get the rest of Gryfindor's quidditch team out there with us. And any other Gryfindor we can find who might join us."

"Not yet. You **will** let me take a look at that bruises first," Madam Pomfrey said.

"The hint was that you would need more than one full team," Frisk warned. "But if you're looking for other people, I'm sure Asriel and Chara would be eager to fly with you."

"We'll see if we can find them," Fred promised, as Madam Pomfrey wiped down his bruise. "Are you interested? We'll take all comers," George asked.

"I'm not that good at flying, and I don't like quidditch," Frisk said. "Thanks, but no thanks. If you're still trying later, maybe I'll come out and watch. If you can find Asriel and Chara, though, I'm sure they'd take you up on it."

"Alright, Alright," promised George.

"Why don't you like quidditch?" Madam Pomfrey asked after she'd finished seeing the twins, and they'd departed. "You're one of the few."

"It's a little too rough for me," Frisk told her. "And the examples here at school and and at the world cup didn't seem like good sportsmanship. One of my foster fathers, Mr. Macintosh, showed me an American hockey game once. I think it was for a trophy of its own. It was actually rougher than quidditch, if you can believe that. But at the end of it, after they celebrated, all the players lined up on the ice to shake each others hands. That's what I think of when I think of sports."

"You should see some league matches, they're not all like the players here. They're much more professional," Madam Pomfrey said. "It's not so bad."

"I guess, it's still not for me," Frisk said. "But what was that you were saying about bezoars?"

* * *

"So," Frisk said, as they sat down for dinner that evening. "Did Fred & George find you?" she asked her siblings.

"No," Chara said, "Why would they looking for us?"

Ginny sat down next to Frisk, looking exhausted. "They found a quidditch based challenge on the grounds. They got a lot of our house out there. We still got mauled. It looks like the object is to score some number of goals within a set amount of time. But the quaffles don't want to be caught and there's got to be at least fifteen to twenty bludgers out there. And the whole area they cover is just enormous. It's like a quidditch pitch itself in each direction from the goals." She took a deep breath. "Where's Opal?" she asked. "Or Ernie?"

"Who?"

"Ernie Macmilian, year ahead of me, two in front of you. He's one of Harry's friends. I need to find someone who might be able to introduce Angelina to Cedric Diggory. Angelina was going to be the Gryffindor captain this year, after Oliver graduated. It was her idea to get all four house teams in on this. That way wouldn't be accused of leaving anyone out, so if Cedric agrees, they can get Ravenclaw and Slytherin as well."

"That's a great idea," Frisk said, turning around, and scanning the Hufflepuff table. "There's Opal."

Opal was enthusiastic with the idea, and almost dragged Ginny over to meet Cedric before waiting for Angelina. Frisk watched the group progress on to the Ravenclaw table, before meeting up a big burly Slytherin. When Ginny returned, she was beside herself. "It's going to happen. They've all said yes."

"Angelina," Asriel said tentatively, as the older girl was about to depart. Angelina looked down at him. "Is there room for additional players? Would you be willing to let Chara and I help out our house?"

"We've agreed not to restrict it to the quidditch players. We'll want as many good fliers as we can get, after what I saw today," Angelina said. "And Opal's going to work with Cedric, so why not?" Her brown eyes glittered at Asriel. "We haven't flown together all year, though. So we've decided to put some practice in before taking on the challenge itself on Friday, after term ends. So, you'll come down to join us on Tuesday, right, and we'll see how you fly?"

Asriel looked at Chara, who nodded. "Right, see you then!"

After dinner, they were about to head up to the common room, when Frisk was struck with inspiration and flagged down the twins brother Ron. "Where's Hermione?" she asked. "I need to ask her a favor."

Ron looked around, but didn't spot her. "Library, probably. Why?"

"I just had a thought," Frisk said. "And actually, Asriel, did you know someone in Beauxbaton?"

"There was that one," Asriel said, "Gerald. I've seen him in the library a few times, but I wouldn't say I know him. In fact, that's him over there, why do you ask?"

Frisk just grinned.

* * *

Just about the entire school came out on the Friday at the end of the Spring Term. Frisk, Steven, and Luna headed out into the lawn, not that far from where the stands had been set up for the second task. They were also actually somewhat close to the goals that represented the center of the task. While they'd never have been allowed (or wanted) to sit under the action of a quidditch game, this had some variance. The first was that there wasn't (as far as they knew) any golden snitches that would require quick dives toward the 'pitch. The second was, they were technically involved in the game. Normally, if a quaffle hit the ground, it was given to the other team for a throw back. Since they were playing against an unstoppable clock, getting that ball back up to the players in the air needed to happen quickly.

The players came out of the quidditch locker rooms. Frisk didn't know for certain who had the idea to turn everything into a celebration, but she was pretty sure it was Fred and George. Angelina, the captain, was in the lead, with bright red Quidditch robes, with the rest of the Quidditch team behind them. Following them were the other members of Gryffindor who had joined in, including Ginny, Asriel, and Chara.

Slytherin was next, in their emerald green robes, led by Marcus Flint. Frisk spotted Chara's cousin Draco among the members. Then came Ravenclaw, led by their sixth year captain Roger Davies, whom Opal said was as the best tactician in the school. He was also in the chess club. The final group was the Hufflepuff team, in bright golden robes, led by the Hogwarts champion Cedric Diggory, with his team behind him, including one Opal Oxtoby, who looked thrilled to be up there.

"What are you looking for, Frisk?" Steven asked as the teams landed, with the captains taking cardinal points around the center goals.

"I'm pretty sure they'll be here shortly... there!" Frisk pointed up into sky, in the direction of the Beauxbaton carriage. There was not one, but two lines of fliers. Six in the sky blue quidditch robes of Beauxbaton, and, flying in formation with them, were six in the deep red robes of Durmstrang. At their lead were the tournament champions of their respective schools, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum.

Fleur landed between Cedric and Angelina, while Viktor landed between Marcus and Roger. Frisk was just close enough to hear him ask, in his thick Germanic accent, "I hear that there is a quidditch challenge. Do you have room for one more group?"

Cedric stepped forward immediately, holding out his hand. "Of course we do. And it is completely my fault for not inviting you. I should have thought of it," he looked at the other captains. "We all should have. Thank you for joining us, Victor." Victor reached out and grasped his hand. Cedric turned to Fleur, "And thank you for joining us, Fleur." Frisk wasn't sure, but it appeared that the Ravenclaw captain was averting his eyes, and swallowing hard. Fleur reached out to shake his hand.

Around the goalposts, each of the captains shook hands with each other and their foreign guests. "Gryffindor?" Angelina called. "You ready?" There was a roar from the Gryffindor team members, and each coach in order called out to her or his team and got an answering call.

"Guess we're ready," Cedric said. "Viktor, you caught the snitch at the World Cup this year, would you like to do the honors, and start us off?"

Viktor nodded, put a hand on the center on the goal post. Immediately, the air was full at least two of the three quidditch balls. The red quaffles started a decent ways from the goal posts, and were trying to get further away. The bludgers, on the other hand, were all over the place. "Beaters!" one of the captains shouted. "Let's keep those things off our chasers!"

The smaller, more agile students had zipped out of the pack, racing towards the quaffles. Frisk was focused on the Gryffindors, she could see Harry Potter zipping out in front, and Asriel following closely behind. Chara was trailing after Asriel, swerving to swat a bludger that was coming in their direction.

Then it was back the other way, as Harry caught to a floating quaffle, corralled it, and turned quickly in the air. He spotted Angelina, and threw to her. She had to dodge another bludger, and then one of the twins, before she hurled the ball through one of the three goalposts in the center. As it went through, it quickly accelerated, spinning somewhere into the section being handled by the Ravenclaws.

"Look at the goal," Luna said, pointing. "It's changing colors."

So it was. The goalpost had started as a wooden brown color. But the bottom of it was now a bright purple, with a small portion of blue just above that. As Frisk watched, the purple section slowly grew longer, absorbing the blue portion. "That's the timer," she realized. A Hufflepuff had come in with another quaffle, pitching it through the hoop. As he scored, the blue section increased a bit further.

While the first few goals had been exciting enough, Frisk began to worry. They were overwhelming the challenge with sheer numbers, they were building a rather big lead on the clock. And the idea was to work together, wasn't it? This felt like five different groups all playing a similar game, but not with each other.

Frisk's first worry was seen to right away. There were several shouts coming from the edges of the challenge area. "Goalposts?" Frisk repeated. She had to pull out the omnioculars that Opal had lent her before she understood. Goalposts, five sets of them, had appeared in a ring around the center posts they were attacking. She wasn't able to watch exactly what happened when one of the free quaffles shot through one of the goalposts, but she had a pretty good idea it was going eat into their time.

"We need a keeper!" Angelina shouted from above her. "Ron, you're closest! Get to those posts and don't let anything through!" Ron split off from chasing down the quaffles, rushing directly to the goals, ready to defend them.

Frisk wasn't sure, but there seemed to be even more balls in the air now. Looking down at where Ron had set up on defense, she could see five goalposts, not the normal three. Even then, Ron seemed to have no issues when there was only one ball to intercept from scoring. The problem was when they came two or three at a time.

"Asriel!" she shouted, waving her arms. Asriel threw a quaffle towards Alicia Spinnet, and looked around for a moment before seeing Frisk trying to get his attention. "Ron needs keeper help, can you give him a hand?" Asriel have her a thumbs up, then went back the other direction.

It probably wasn't quite ten minutes into the challenge. The score had tightened very slightly, since the extra defensive players meant scoring had slowed down, but at least they'd stopped losing time.

Frisk was estimating they were about halfway to their goal, still ahead of pace, when the challenge decided to throw something new at them. It was obvious when it happened, as all the quaffles in the air suddenly changed directions, now all speeding to maybe a third of the circle. Their sky suddenly empty, the Gryffindors Frisk was watching didn't appear to know what to make of it at first, before they all zoomed to help out the suddenly overwhelmed Hufflepuffs and Slytherins. As Frisk stared through the omnioculars, it looked like a forest of goalposts had sprung up on the other side. There were calls from people around her, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, even someone not far from her yelling in French.

Frisk ran past the goals (which, themselves, had started rotating at a decent clip. That was going to make it harder to score) into the new zone, and it was clear that whatever plan the participants had going was devolving into chaos. The space they had to cover wasn't quite open enough for people to simply fly at full tilt like they'd been doing before.

But it was such a beautiful chaos. She spotted Asriel catch a ball that had slipped past a Durmstrang keeper, who was busy with a separate incoming quaffle. Opal beat away a bludger that was aiming itself for a stationary Beauxbaton boy, who was aiming a shot at their own target. Even traditional Hogwarts rivals were being forgotten. She spotted Draco Malfoy catching up to a quaffle, and delivering it to a streaking Ravenclaw chaser on her way back toward the goal. A minute later, one of the Weasley twins covered Slytherin captain Marcus Flint from getting his bell rang by a different streaking bludger.

The sky above was filled with such a colorful mess of balls and players, near misses and amazing saves, long shots and saves, that Frisk had forgotten to watch the time. A shout reminded her. The blue line had vanished, replaced with a thin red line above the ever growing purple line. "You're starting to fall behind!" called out someone sitting closer to the target.

If Frisk thought everything was moving fast already, that warning sent everyone into overdrive. Frisk saw a couple of near misses as there was a push to get those few extra goals to push them over the line. Victor Krum seemed to be everywhere, collecting multiple quaffles on the fly, dodging around a Ravenclaw and flying close enough to a Slytheren beater to have a chasing bludger deterred, before channeling his inner chaser and scoring two perfect goals himself.

Harry Potter was also driving himself, determined not to let any sort of quidditch challenge get the better of him. He was darting back and forth near the goals, keeping any quaffles that came near him from attempting a scoring shot.

A loud blaring noise from the center goal distracted everyone, and all the balls dropped from the sky, disappearing just before they hit the ground. Everyone was momentarily disoriented, before they stopped and stared at the goal that had served as their timer.

For a moment, everyone was still, looking at each other, staring down, wondering if they'd just barely won, or just barely lost.

Then the goalposts turned a bright gold. A blast of red smoke filled the air, before coalescing into words: "Time remaining: 0:12".

Normally, after a quidditch game, half the participants moped in defeat. This time, pandemonium erupted as the players (and there must have been sixty to seventy of them) all landed together, then enveloped each other in a massive celebration. Over to one side, Frisk saw Madam Hooch standing with a broom of her own in her hand, a wide smile on her face.


	24. Scouring the Past

The celebration in the middle of the area lasted for several minutes before the wizards of the various schools and houses began to separate themselves out. Frisk could see them leaving in two and threes to head back to the showers, ready to wash the adrenaline off and get ready for dinner. Frisk thought about trying to find Opal and her siblings, but thought of the crowds and decided against it.

She headed back up to the Great Hall with Luna and Steven, talking about the challenge. Around her, she could hear how excited the others still were. At the Great hall, they separated to their house tables. At the Gryffindor table, Frisk spotted the large open reference book spread out on the table, and sat across from it. "Did you come and watch the challenge, Hermione?" Frisk asked.

Hermione looked up in surprise. "Oh, hello Frisk. I did, thank you. It was exciting, wasn't it?" she asked, her eyes drifted back down to the book in front of her.

"I thought it was," Frisk told her. "Your friends Ron and Harry did a great job up there. So did Viktor. It was really fun to see everyone working together," she said. Hermione didn't respond. She was focusing on her book again. "What are you reading there, Hermione?"

"What?" she asked, looking up, startled again. "Oh," she said. "I was just reading about the trials of the followers of You Know Who." Frisk motioned for her to continue. "The trials were kind of a joke, as it turns out." Hermione's voice was both frustrated and thoughtful. "Though it's hard to find anything that covers them fairly."

"What do you mean, they were a joke?" Frisk asked, not understanding what she meant. Why would anyone not take them seriously?

"The mind of the Wizengamot was mostly made up before it started," Hermione explained. "The accused were railroaded. I don't think a single one of them had any type of council to defend them, and that's just not right. You really ought to have some kind of advocate, appointed by the court if nothing else." Hermione looked down at the book in front of her. "There were only a small handful of them that were acquitted. Bagman was one of them," She shut the book in frustration. "But I'm trying to find out about one suspect in particular, and I can't find anything about him. Maybe," she stopped what she was saying abruptly. "I'll just have to go to the library after dinner," she said, putting the book carefully away in her bag.

It was about dinner time, and the hall was filling with students coming in from outdoors. Frisk was joined by Chara and Asriel. Opal and the Beauxbaton boy, Gerald, sat behind her at the Hufflepuff table. There was loud cheering through the hall as the quidditch teams filed in. Each of the team captains had a piece of their respective shields, as did Krum and Fleur, the champions of the other schools. At the professors table, Dumbledore was whispering something to Madam Hooch, who still looked rather pleased herself.

After the celebration was done, food appeared on the table, as it did. To Frisk's surprise, Viktor Krum came up along the wall, and tapped Hermione on the shoulder. "Hermione," he said in his thick accent, "I wanted to thank you for making sure we were invited to the challenge. It felt good to work with the others."

"Oh," Hermione blushed. "You should really thank Frisk," The older girl said, pointing across the table at her. "She's the one who thought of you. She just knew you had invited me to the ball."

"Oh," Victor said, nodding deeply at Frisk. "Thank you. You are very considerate." His eyes darted next to Frisk for a moment.

To her side, Frisk could see Chara frantically searching through the pockets of her robes, glancing up at Krum every few moments. Behind her, Opal was doing the same. "You're quite welcome, Viktor," Frisk said. "Uh, if you have a few moments, maybe you could sign an autograph for my sister Chara, and my friend Opal? You wouldn't happen to have a pen and some paper, would you Hermione?"

Of course Hermione had paper and a quill on her. Viktor gave a knowing smile, and passed an autograph to Chara, who looked thunderstruck, and handed a second one to Frisk, who handed it to Opal behind her. Then Viktor gave a third one to Frisk to actually keep. "Oh," she said, embarrassed that she hadn't asked for one herself. "Thank you."

Viktor just nodded to her, giving her a half sort of smile. It looked somewhat foreign on his gruff face, but Frisk appreciated it anyway. "Thank you," he said, and headed back toward the Slytherin table for dinner.

As they were finishing their food, Frisk turned and addressed the Beauxbaton student. "Did you take part in the challenge today, Gerald?"

"Oui!" Gerald said, wiping his mouth. "Though I almost wish I had not. It would have been something to watch Victor Krum in quidditch form! Almost. It was a lot of fun. Thank you for inviting us."

"I don't think we would have succeeded without you," Asriel told him. "Have you done any of the other challenges?"

"I think some of my classmates have," Gerald said. "I cannot say I've gone looking for them. Should I?"

"I think you should," Opal said. "Some of them have been great fun. That reminds me!" she said. "There's that riddle that there's been outside our common room for forever. Do you know why French cooking only uses one egg?"

"Excuse moi?" Gerald said, turning to her. "Repeat the question, please?" he asked. Opal repeated the question. "Pourquoi en la cuisine Française on n'utilise pas seulement un œuf?" he said to himself, shaking his head. "That does not make sense."

Opal was shaking her head in frustration, when Chara suddenly spoke up. "What was that last part again? Was that how you say one egg in French?"

"Oui," Gerald told her. "Un œuf."

"Sans! That's terrible!" Chara exclaimed suddenly. "But I know the answer! Where's that box?"

Opal looked at Chara in surprise, but stood from the table, and led them all down the grand staircase, into a warm corridor. She pointed out the box, still marked with a sealed Hufflepuff Crest. Chara reached out to put a hand on the box. "Make sure I say this right?" she asked, then turned back to the box. "Because one egg is un œuf." The box clicked open.

Frisk and Asriel looked at each other, and began to giggle. Gerald just looked perplexed. "Because one egg is _enough_ ," Frisk explained, still giggling. "It's a multiple language pun, and you have to be right, Chara, that has to be Sans's."

Chara took the shield piece from the box. "I'd have never gotten it if you hadn't been here," she said, handing it to Gerald. "Want to go back upstairs and do the honors tonight?"

* * *

Her siblings had gone up to the common room, but Frisk pushed her way into the library. She looked around, and spotted her quarry with a stack of books in front of her. "Had any luck?" she whispered, sitting down next to Hermione.

Hermione frowned. "Not really, Frisk," she whispered back. "Are you that curious?"

"No," Frisk said, aware that Ms. Pince was walking in their direction. "About Peter, you mean?"

"Peter? He wasn't ever... _oh,_ " Hermione said, following Frisk's gaze to the librarian. "That's it. That is who I'm trying to find out about. He told us he wasn't even given a trial, just thrown into Azkaban. I can't think that's right."

"But I'm not," Frisk said. "I'm actually curious if you found anything out about the Malfoy family." Hermione looked at her with narrowed eyes, and Frisk winced. That wasn't the whole truth, and she was aware of how guilty she probably looked. But if there's one person in the school that would make the connection, it was Hermione.

"Draco's parents?" Hermione asked. "They were never even tried. They claimed to have been under the imperius curse. They might have had names to give the ministry, but everyone else had to do it while in view of the whole court. I've read speculation that there was rather large bribes paid to the ministry to keep them out of the limelight."

That startled Frisk, was it really that corrupt? "Paid to the ministry itself, or to the minister?" Frisk asked. She wasn't sure which the worse answer was.

"Depends on who you're reading," Hermione told her. "Possibly both."

Okay, that was the worst answer. "Not them either," Frisk said. "The other Malfoys." She had been trying to recall their names, she had heard them at the World Cup. "Annabel and Jasper, I think it was."

Hermione looked thoughtful for a second, then set the book she had been reading aside, and dug to another book in her stack. "The Fall of the Dark Lord and the New Stability", it was titled, and authored by one Elphias Doge. "There was a list in here of all the people that were tried and what they were tried for," Hermione said, flipping through the pages rapidly. "It didn't tell anything I didn't know about the one I was looking up, but.."

She stopped, and her eyes widened. Frisk's heart sank for a moment. She hadn't know, but she'd just figured it out, hadn't she? If only Frisk had left well enough alone.

"Annabel and Jasper Malfoy," she read aloud. "Were convicted of using the cruciatus on several members of the public (and worse, see page 348). They were also convicted of using the cruciatus curse on their daughter Chara, and ultimately of," Hermione looked up, her face pale. "killing their daughter, who's body was never found. That's your sister, isn't it? The one we brought forward from the past."

Frisk looked down at the table in front of her. She'd had some rough foster homes growing up, before she landed in the Underground. But the idea Chara had been _tortured_? "How could anyone do that?" Frisk asked.

Hermione didn't have an answer. Neither did Frisk. They just stared at each other for a few seconds before Hermione closed the book with a loud thud. "I still want to find out what happened to Sirius," Hermione said. "Would you like to help?"

Not really, but maybe it would help Frisk get her mind off what she just learned. It took several more books, but eventually Frisk found what they were looking for. "You said that he didn't have a trial?" she said. "Not true, but I can see why he thinks that." Frisk pushed the book over for Hermione to read herself, "He was still unconscious from whatever happened with Peter, and they weren't sure he was ever going to wake up. So they held a trial without him being there, Dumbledore gave evidence and everything."

"So did Professor Lupin," Hermione said, reading it for herself. "Despite him being a werewolf. They both testified that Snuf... Sirius had been the Potters secret keepers, and that Mr. Petigrew had confronted him based on that, getting killed in the process." Hermione looked up. "About got it backwards, but not for a lack of evidence, really. Thanks, Frisk."

"You're welcome, and, Hermione?" Frisk said, looking up, meeting Hermione's eyes for a moment, then looking back at the table. "Can you please not tell Chara what we found? She's really sensitive about her past. I think I finally found out why."

"I won't. I promise."

* * *

As holidays went, Spring was a bit of a tease. Frisk, Asriel and Chara had gone home for the holiday, and even though they were caught up on schoolwork, they only had the chance to be home for a week. That meant they had to cram as many visits to friends, and as much time to spend with their parents as possible. They started cramming the moment they arrived on Platform 9 3/4s, with Asriel winning a round of rock/paper/scissors to call Mom and let her know they'd arrived, and prove their new phones worked in high magic areas.

There was trip to see the ghosts, to experience whatever new idea Mettaton had now and spend an afternoon with Napstablook. They spent a day with Mom and Dad, who had taken time away from the ministry, and went out to dinner at Grillby's in Diagon Alley. It ended with lessons, though. Mom hadn't forgotten the math books she'd got them, and she was determined that they continue what she called "Mundane World" education. It was Mom though, that made it okay.

They had a day with Papyrus and Sans. They hadn't really changed. Papyrus had been working in Asgore's greenhouse (which was a much better job for him than Royal Guardskeleton). Sans, who'd been working on his own project, felt distant. It wasn't that he didn't engage with them, he was it happy enough to visit, but it was clear that his mind was somewhere else. Frisk tried to draw whatever it was out of him, but didn't have any success. Sans did, at least, confirm the egg pun was his, and he seemed happy that it got solved. "they wanted one that might get people talking to the other schools. was hard to come up with a french pun like that, though."

They had a day with Alphys and Undyne. Undyne was thrilled to hear they'd attempted the physical challenge she'd designed, but disappointed to hear it was Opal that solved it. Her first reaction was, "I hope I can meet her at some point," which seemed fair. It was her second reaction, "But that means I need to train you nerds _harder!_ " that put the fear of strenuous exercise into the three of them.

To Frisk's surprise, Alphys wanted to ask about the Quidditch challenge. As it turned out, Alphys had worked with Madam Hooch to develop the game, using her experience in online gaming as a starting point. "It was a big hit," Frisk told her, to Alphys rather obvious relief. "You did a great job designing the event. I think it's been my favorite challenge."

"It's going to be hard to find something better than that," Alphys admitted, her cheek scales going scarlet at the compliment. "I'm going to try, though!" They brainstormed the rest of the afternoon, not really getting anywhere, but having some fun with more impractical ideas. Alphys told them that the rest of the challenges had mostly been set, so it didn't matter they hadn't had any great ideas.

Spring holiday was over almost before it began, and the Dreemurrs were back in the Great Hall before they knew it. Apparently, they'd missed some sort of epic challenge involving magical creatures that Hagrid had set up. Something involving using nifflers to find golden whistles that attracted bowtruckles living in tress, in which was hiding... and it went on. It was like a great party scavenger hunt, Frisk was sorry she missed it, but not sorry enough that she wasn't glad she'd gone home for the holidays.

Normally, Frisk had a quiet trip down from Charms on a Wednesday down to lunch. Normally, there wasn't a cry of other students heading down a third floor corridor. Normally her nose wasn't assaulted by the worst stench she'd ever, ever experienced. It was worse than the garbage dump in the underground, where filth from above ground penetrated the depths.

Despite her better judgment, Frisk went up the corridor, wondering what could possibly going on. She turned a corner, into the heart of the smell, and looked up at a small, floating, ghostly man. Frisk stared back at him, she'd mostly stayed out of the way of the Hogwarts poltergeist. Around him on the floor and walls were splatters of something brown and fowl smelling.

Peeves looked at Frisk, cackled, "Oh boy! More squirts!" and launched a small projectile at Frisk. Frisk slid to her left to dodge it, the bomb hit the floor and exploded in filth and stink. He looked slightly annoyed, and tried a second time. Frisk backed up, and the bomb landed just short. This apparently aggravated him enough that he began to pelt all of his missiles at Frisk, as quickly as could. But she spun, ducked, and leaped away from the bombs, and when he was out of shots, Frisk was still clean, if nearly incapacitated by the smell.

" **PEEVES!** " came the shout behind her, as Filch the caretaker stormed into the corridor. "I'll tell Dumbledore, I swear it!"

Peeves responded by blowing a raspberry and disappearing through the ceiling with a mad cackle.

Frisk stood in the middle of a thick brown lake in the middle of the stone Hogwarts corridor. She looked up at Filch. Filch looked back at her, then turned around and disappeared back down the corridor. He returned a few moments later with a mop and a bucket of water, and began attacking the brown region in frustration and anger, muttering about who was making his life difficult by giving Peeves dungbombs, most likely 'those twins'.

Frisk gently stepped through the muck, until she was in a clean part of the corridor again. But instead of heading down toward lunch, she stopped and watched. Just about anyone else in the castle would have used magic to clean it up, right? But Filch wasn't using any magic, just his mop.

Did that mean there were no good spells for this, or... Frisk blinked and looked again. He didn't appear to be carrying a wand, at least, not as far as she could tell. And he wasn't wearing a robe either.

Did that mean he _couldn't_?

The more Frisk watched, the more the conclusion couldn't be escaped from. It explained his grumpy personality and the anger at those who didn't use magic responsibly. It explained everything, except for why he was still here, in a place that seemed perfectly designed to torture someone without magic.

Frisk thought for a second, and then headed quickly down the corridor. There was a girl's bathroom not far from here. She ducked in, and swiped a number of paper towels. She wet them down and headed back to the dungbomb explosions, enduring the smell again. She didn't ask Mr. Filch if wanted help, she didn't even tell him she was going to help. She just started to do so, scrubbing at the wall her wet towels.

After the first few minutes, her stomach started growling. This was supposed to be lunch time, but she was determined. Frisk had been scrubbing for a good fifteen minutes, before she realized Mr. Filch was staring at her. The floor had been cleaned, and really, the walls were mostly clean too.

Their eyes met, and at first, neither of them said anything. The caretaker's eyes darted down to where her family name was embroidered on her robe. Frisk looked up at him with her half-lidded eyes. "I'm trying to prove that not all students hate you the way you think we do," she told him, smiling.

Mr. Filch still stared at her. "Thank you, Ms. Dreemurr," he finally said, though the words might have just tortured him as they came out. "Go get your lunch."

As Frisk turned toward back to the grand staircase, she felt another pair of eyes on her. The bright yellow eyes of Ms. Norris were staring at her. She leaned down to offer her hand to the cat to smell. Ms. Norris looked at her unblinkingly for a moment, then pressed her thin, warm body into Frisk's leg, as she stalked off after Mr. Filch.

* * *

Frisk had intentionally sat away from others in Defense Against the Dark Arts that afternoon. It hadn't been hard, everyone else had avoided her. Even the hook nose of Mad Eye Moody had wrinkled when he'd thumped his way into the room.

"Sorry, professor," Frisk apologized, flushing scarlet, as both magical and normal eyes focused in on her. "Peeves got his hands on some dung bombs. He didn't hit me, but it's bad just enough to be around them."

That was enough of an explanation. After class that day, Frisk headed back up to the common room, intent on changing out of her dungbomb afflicted robe into something cleaner. On her way up, though, she was interrupted by Luna. "Frisk?" she called out, climbing up the stairs, about a floor behind Frisk.

"Oh, hi, Luna," Frisk called back. Frisk was about to turn toward Gryffindor tower, when Luna called out to her again.

"Wait," she said, short of breath. Frisk turned around to realize that Luna was actually running up the stairs, something she'd thought Opal would have done. "Wait," Luna repeated, panting. "Opal wanted me to find you. She just talked to Professor Hagrid, and he's missing."

"What?" Frisk asked, blinking in surprise. "Who's missing?"

Luna had stepped back, "What's that smell?" she asked curiously.

"Peeves got me with a dung bomb," Frisk said. "Who's missing?" she asked again.

"Oh," Luna. "Dubran."


	25. Into the Woods

"Asriel!" Opal shouted across the great hall. The monster looked up from where he had just put down his potions book, ready to quiz Chara on some of the antidotes to common poisons. He looked around, spotted Opal, and waved. Opal must have come from outside, she was wearing her cloak. She skidded to a halt next to him. "Dubran's missing." she said breathlessly (though not as breathlessly as Asriel would have been had he been moving that quickly).

"What?" Asriel asked blankly, the words not really registering with him. The few other Gryffindors who'd come down to the great hall early glanced over to the Hufflepuff in curiosity.

"Dubran's gone missing," Opal repeated. "Come on, I'll explain on the way. I just need to see if Frisk's at the library."

Asriel and Chara looked at each other, and quickly packed away their potion books. "How do you know that?" Asriel asked, already short of breath, from trying to keep up with her. "

"I just had Care of Magical Creatures," Opal said. "Toward the end of class, one of the centaurs came up to interrupt Hagrid's lesson. He wasn't very happy about it, but once he said Dubran had ran away, he ended class early, and had one of the Hufflepuffs go find the headmaster. I was lucky, I saw Luna coming out of Transfiguration. She's looking for Frisk upstairs, and I was looking down here."

They reached the library and did a quick sweep, but didn't see Frisk anywhere. "Let's just go outside," Asriel said, leading the way back through the Great Hall into the ground outside the castle. The three of them made their way out towards the two huts that stood near the edge of the forbidden forest.

"Asriel," Chara asked, out of breath, as they got close. "What do you expect to be able do?"

"Help," Asriel said, his eyes locked ahead, and mind focused on the centaur. "It's my fault he was in so much trouble with his father. And I'm his friend,"

Hagrid was standing with Firenzie outside their huts. Both of them were looking anxiously towards the castle. The centaur pointed at them as they arrived, smiling slightly. "I might have known you would find out somehow, and come down to join us," Firenzie said.

Asriel had to pause to catch his breath. Keeping up with Opal at full tilt hadn't been easy. "How can we help?" he managed to finally get out.

"I am not sure yet," he admitted. "And I am not sure if you should, though I have no doubts that you want to. The dark forest is a vast place, and most of it is not safe, even for centaurs." Firenzie looked back to the forest. "Which is why I am worried."

"Eh," Hagrid said. "Dumbledore will find him, don't you worry, Firenzie. Here he comes."

Dumbledore was striding purposefully down the path. He wasn't alone. Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Sprout, were all walking with him. Trailing a bit behind them was Frisk and Luna. Dumbledore wasted no time. "What do we know?" he asked, focusing directly on Hagrid.

"Bane came to me during my final class today," Hagrid told him. "Said Dubran had kicked a hole in the hut he was being confined in while Magorian was out in the forest. He has been missing for an hour, and Bane thought he came here."

"I believe he would have tried to come here," Firenzie added. "The fact that he has not makes me believe that he has become lost in the forest, and it will get dark soon."

"With all due respect, headmaster," Snape said, his dark eyes glinting, as he observed the gathering of young and adult wizards. "Why is this not a problem for the centaurs? You told us the centaurs threatened to kill us if they caught us in the forest. Do you believe this worth risking their ire? That this might be some sort of hoax?"

Dumbledore swept his gaze down to the Dreemurrs and their friends before meeting Professor Snape's eyes. "Your position is noted, Serverus. But I am not prepared to take that chance myself and I do not believe you are, either."

"Headmaster," Professor McGonagall said, "How do you intend we find young Dubran? We cannot track him directly without something for the spell to focus on. Should we split up?"

"And how can we help?" Asriel asked, looking up at the headmaster.

Dumbledore looked down at Asriel sharply, and was about to speak when Snape spoke up first. "You cannot seriously be considering it. It is much too dangerous for children of that age..."

"If we don't allow them to go, Serverus," Professor Sprout spoke up, "They will go on their own. It is better we focus their efforts." A wry smile appeared on her face. "At least this group asks first."

"I agree with Pomona," Dumbledore told them. "We shall pair off the best we can." He looked back at Asriel. "Do you have any ideas on how to find him?"

Asriel felt his heart sank. "Not specifically. But there was the tracking spell that Professor Sprout used when she helped us find the coerus before winter break."

"We do not have a focus point for that spell, yet," Dumbledore explained. "I shall go to the centaur camp and see if I can obtain one. That, I should probably do by myself. Do you have other thoughts?"

"Maybe some of the other inhabitants of the forest?" Chara suggested. "Unicorns have a strong connection with life. Or maybe circling by air?"

"There's a lot of dangerous creatures in the woods too," countered Snape. "I'd hate to think of what would happen if a young centaur stumbled into the Acromantula colony."

"Aragog won't hurt nobody!" Hagrid exclaimed. "And the spiders are all over the forest. That's a idea Snape. Who's coming with me?" There was no movement for a moment, until Chara finally put her hand up. "Oh, good, Chara. You'll like this." So saying, he strode off into the forest, with Chara jogging to keep up.

"Shout if you find something, Hagrid. Meet back here at sundown." Dumbledore said as the large man disappeared in the trees. "She will be safe enough with Hagrid. For the rest of us, those of us who can should use flares or patronuses."

Snape looked like he was about to complain again, but Frisk interrupted him. "May I go with you, professor?"

Professor Snape was so startled, and actually flattered, that he forgot to protest. "Very well. There is the area claimed by that enchanted car. Frisk and I will search around there."

"And I shall see if I can find the unicorns," Firenzie said. "Would you like to join me, Luna? Your visits over spring break have been a great comfort." Luna smiled up to him, walking up to stand beside him.

"I shall take Opal and find the wolf pack," McGonagall said. "If anyone can sniff out a missing young centaur without a scent to start with, it will be them."

"I guess you're with me, Asriel," Professor Sprout said, smiling. "We'll take the area near the school, headmaster."

"Good luck to us all," Dumbledore said, and they all made their way into the Dark Forest.

* * *

"Dubran!" Asriel called for the hundredth time. His voice echoed weirdly through the trunks of the Dark Forest trees. He'd gotten used to it, partially. "Professor," Asriel said, looking up at the herbology teacher. "Shouldn't we go a bit deeper?" It wasn't quite a fair question. They were far enough in that Asriel couldn't easily tell which way they should go to get out again. But on the other paw, they'd been looking for at least an hour, and the sun was starting to creep lower.

The professor was looking agitated herself. "I thought we might have heard from the headmaster or the others by now," she admitted. "I suppose we had better. If he was nearby, or coming this way, he'd have heard us by now." She considered for a moment before pointing her lit wand, "This way, then."

The trees got thicker, with fewer clearings, as they went deeper in the forest. The shadows cast by the wand light of the two wizards made some odd and disturbing shapes. It was different since the last time he came here as well, the trees were green with fresh leaves, rather than the colorful ones of fall. But, though Asriel wasn't sure, he thought he recognized the area they were passing through. "Professor? Was this where we were when we were searching for the coerus, a few months ago?"

Madam Sprout stopped for a second, pursing her lips and looking around. "It might be, but I'm not sure. I'm in and out of the forest about once a week," when Asriel looked surprised she continued. "Not all herbs grow in the greenhouses. Some like the forest better, though forest herbs are NEWT level courses." she told him.

"Do you think we could look for it, the coerus I mean? Asriel asked. "Is there a chance it could help us find Dubran?"

"It would be a very slim chance, Asriel," the professor told him. "Coerus are still wild animals, you know. Even you think they owe you. In any event, even the best tracker, or tracking spell, needs some place to start. A drop of blood, a piece of clothing, an item they identify with, something."

Asriel felt his shoulders slump. "Is it worth trying anyway? There has to be some way we can find him, doesn't there?"

"Well," Madam Sprout said slowly, "Perhaps there is no harm in looking. As long as we are looking for Dubran in this part of the woods anyway." She narrowed her eyes suddenly, struck by a sudden thought. "Perhaps it's even a good idea. Alright, let's go."

They ranged out again, Asriel and Madam Sprout both looking for the fallen log that had been the den of the coerus, still calling out for Dubran. The sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, and Asriel's stomach was rumbling Sundown must have come later in the day than he thought it did, and he might have been missing dinner, but he forced himself to ignore it.

Asriel was beginning to think they were in a different part of the forest altogether when the professor waved for his attention, and put a pair of fingers to her lips. Asriel looked around, and realized she was standing about ten feet back from what must have been the coerus' den. As quietly as possible, Asriel made his way over to her, and looked in the direction of her pointing hand. A single coerus, the size of one of a mundane panther, was lying down in the partially concealed den under the fallen oak. It blinked at him, possibly having just awoken. Was it one of the ones Frisk had led them too before? He wasn't sure. He crouched down, "Howdy," Asriel said, unaware Madam Sprout was hovering behind him. "Do you remember me?"

"Asriel," Madam Sprout told him, "As intelligent as they are, the coerus doesn't understand English. I'm pretty sure one could learn, if it spent a lot of time around the language. Kneazles can, even kneazle-cat crossbreeds can. But you're going to have to find a different way through."

"A different way?" Asriel asked. Almost subconsciously, he tensed his soul, bringing it into the surface. Then, what was it Chara had told him? She had been the one to study the coerus after they'd come back. Something about not making eye contact, he remembered that. Asriel crouched, and focused his eyes at point in the ground, so that he had to look upward to see it properly, then he held out a tentative hand, not quite into the animal's den.

The coerus's tentacles whipped around the cave, and it took all of Asriel's courage not to turn tail. He kept his voice low and soft, "Do you remember? I was here before, when you were starving. There's another child, lost somewhere her in the woods. A friend. I'm scared for him, I think he might get hurt, and it might be my fault..."

Asriel felt a pair of tentacles touch him on the back, through his robes, and froze. The coerus was still staring at him from the den, bathed in a multicolor light of Asriel's soul. So, how had it... right. It could displace where it appeared to be. He fought the urge to turn around, and closed his eyes.

"Please. I need any help that I can get."

Maybe it was the tone of voice, or maybe the coerus could feel the fear and sorrow radiating from Asriel's soul. But the tentacles removed themselves from Asriel's back. When he opened his eyes, the coerus was gone from its den. He relaxed his soul magic, and looked cautiously over his shoulder. The coerus was, apparently, sitting next to him, the tentacles resting across its back. It looked up at him with bright orange eyes. Behind him, he caught a glance of Madam Sprout slipping her wand back into an inner robe pocket.

Asriel slowly stood back up, lowering his eyes slightly, so he wasn't looking at the coerus directly. "I don't suppose you know where the centaur child is, do you?" He realized what he said, and put his hand to his forehead. "Not that you know what a centaur is. Wait," he turned to the Professor. "Wait! We can show him, can't we? Do you know where the centaur camp is from here?"

"It's what I was about to suggest, Asriel," Madam Sprout smiled. "Let's go," she said, leading the way through the forest again, Asriel trailing behind her, and the coerus following behind him. The sun, what he could see of it, was starting to get close to the horizon. If anyone else had found Dubran, they had some way to check in, right?

They stopped just outside the clearing of the Centaur camp. Most of the centaurs must have been out looking for Dubran as well, the camp was much emptier than when they visited it for dinner. Also, there was a hut, with two holes in it, one in the back where Dubran must have kicked it open. Finally, Asriel could see Dumbledore sitting in what seemed to be a rather comfortable looking armchair, and he was rather pointedly twiddling his thumbs. After a few moments, he glanced in their direction, met Madam Sprouts eyes. He stood, giving a rather dramatic stretch, and walked out of the camp towards the edge. There were two centaurs specifically who watched him go, bows resting on their side.

The headmaster circled around the camp, just far enough inside the treeline to not be able to be seen by the centaurs inside. The coerus flickered from beside Asriel to a bit further away as he approached. Dumbledore glanced at the coerus momentarily before addressing the Herbology teacher. "If they would let us in to find something that belongs to him, we could find something to trace him with. But they will not."

Asriel had looked at the camp for a moment and was about to ask speak up, when Madam Sprout got their first. "Headmaster, which is more important?" she asked. "Our relationship with the centaurs as a group, or finding the lost child?"

Dumbledore gave her an even look.

"That's what I thought," Madam Sprout said, and turned back to Asriel. "Asriel? Do you think you, and your new friend, might be able to sneak your way into that hut and find something that belongs to Dubran?"

"Give me just a second before you do," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "I would hate to be accused of plotting revenge." He turned, and circled back to his armchair, and returned to twiddling his thumbs.

Asriel looked in the direction the coerus appeared to be at the moment, and knelt down. He tapped his chest with his fingers, then pointed them at the damaged hut. Afterward, he extended a palm to the coerus, before sweeping his hand to point at the two centaur guards.

The coerus looked at Asriel, then at the two centaur. It bared its fangs for just a moment, possibly in a feral smile, and vanished,. It reappeared some distance away, and moved off in the direction of the centaur camp.

The shouts were almost instant, as centaurs pointed out that the coerus was making off with a large haunch of uncooked meat, stolen from their fire pit. The two guard centaurs shouted their challenge and chased after the thief. It hadn't been what Asriel had been expecting as a distraction. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn't that. Still, it _was_ effective, as it seemed to have gotten the attention of all the centaurs in the camp. As Asriel raced into the camp and disappeared inside his target, he could hear Dumbledore calling out, "Are you sure you do not want my help?"

There really wasn't much there, an area covered with a blanket, a small pile of unwashed shirts, and an empty table. As it was the only thing available, Asriel grabbed a shirt and, with only a quick glance to make sure his escape was clear, darted back in the direction of the treeline.

Madam Sprout was waiting for him. "Very good, Asriel," she said, smiling down at him. She took the shirt, and looked at it critically for a moment, not caring that it was dirty and probably sweaty.

"This should work just fine. I suppose Dumbledore is proving how patient he can be," she continued, looking over in the direction of the armchair. "But in the meantime, we should go find Dubran. This time with certainty."

She cast her charm, and frowned. "Dubran went the wrong way to start with. He went away from Hogwarts, not towards it."

"He was probably being chased by his father," Asriel said, remembering how his friend had been dragged away from Hogwarts. "Then never got straightened out."

"Perhaps," the professor said. "This way then," she said, lighting her wand, Asriel followed suit. They were going into an even deeper part of the forest, and the sun was penetrating less of the canopy, causing the Dark Forest to live up to its name. The coerus had reappeared, apparently trailing behind them. The meat that it had stole was gone, either hidden or devoured.

They started calling Dubran's name as soon they were clear of the centaur village. They had walked for another good fifteen to twenty minutes, when they finally were rewarded with a cry for help, down through a gap in the trees ahead of them. Asriel ran ahead, over a crevice, and past a particularly thick oak tree. Dubran was leaning against that oak tree, pain evident on his face.

"Dubran! Are you okay?" Asriel asked.

"I can't stand," Dubran whimpered.


	26. to Help a Centaur

"You can't stand?" Asriel asked, staring at his friend. "What happened?"

"I jumped over that crack in the ground and my forelegs slipped on something. I heard something crack. I tried to stand up, and I fell backwards," Dubran said. His eyes were shut, and his face was screwed up in obvious pain. "My legs just collapsed from under me. I had to pull myself over to this tree." He opened his eyes again, and Asriel could see fear in them. "I think my foreleg is broken."

"It's okay," Asriel told him, putting a hand on the centaur's shoulder, "We'll find a way..."

"Asriel," Dubran interrupted, the fear had escaped into his voice now. "Do you know how hard it is for a centaur with broken legs? A broken arm Firenzie could set, but a leg?" He stopped, his face paling. "Is it true, what humans do to horses when they break their legs?"

Asriel had no idea what humans did to horses. But Madam Sprout must have. "Do not worry about what muggles do to unthinking beasts," she admonished, coming up from behind Asriel. "You are neither, nor are we muggles. _Expecto Patronum!_ " A ghostly white badger appeared from Madam Pomfrey's wand. She spoke to it quickly, and it went tearing off the way they had come. "A message for Dumbledore," she explained. She then pointed her wand straight up in the air, and fired a beam of bright blue light into the darkening sky with a loud **bang.** The coerus took off, spooked by the sudden noise. Asriel would have to remember to bring some sort of reward later.

On the other hand, Asriel wasn't convinced anyone else was going to notice the signal, as bright as it was. They were still in the middle of the forest, but he wasn't going to bring that up to Madam Sprout. "We shouldn't wait here, should we?" Asriel asked her. "It's going to be dark soon."

"I think you're right," Madam Sprout said. She was looking around them in the approaching darkness, holding her glowing wand aloft. She moved the wand back and forth, trying to attract the attention of anyone who might be looking for them.

"We shouldn't stay here," Asriel told Dubran, "Could you lean on me?" Asriel held out his paw to the centaur.

"I'm not sure that..." Madam Sprout began, but it was too late. Dubran had already reached out grab Asriel's paw, and he pulled. Asriel tried to hold his balance, and failed miserably. The centaur was far heavier than Asriel was, and he was pulled down into an undignified heap.

"Asriel!" Dubran exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Ow," Asriel said, slowly picking himself off the ground. He brushed the dirt off his robes. "I'm alright, Let's try that again," he said gamely. "But lift yourself with the tree," he ducked down, taking Dubran's arm and put it over his shoulder. "Just use me to steady yourself."

"I'll try," Dubran said. He reached out with his right hand, and pushed against the tree. Slowly, Dubran was able to straighten his hind legs and his good foreleg, though his left foreleg hung limply in the air. Asriel was able to shoulder the weight, Dubran put on him, though it wasn't easy.

Madam Sprout looked fretful about something, but she really wasn't in a position to physically support Dubran, unless she knew some magic that would help. She was too tall to support Dubran the way Asriel was doing. A howl in the distance interrupted their thoughts, and it wasn't any animal Asriel had heard before. The professor frowned, and made a decision. "This is the way to the centaur camp," she said, pointing in the direction the badger had run off in. "Don't move any faster than you're comfortable doing," she warned them.

It was slow going. Dubran's body was heavy, and when he picked up his good foreleg, Asriel was supporting a good deal of his weight. He wasn't used to just moving one leg at a time, either. At one point, he picked up – just for a second – his good front leg and the hind leg on Asriel's side, and threatened to bring them both down again.

They hadn't gotten far when they were interrupted by "Asriel! Dubran!" Frisk, with Professor Snape behind her, came darting through the trees. "You found him!" She stared at the two of them. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes drifted down to Dubran's limp leg.

"What happened?" echoed the potions master.

While Madam Sprout told them what had happened, Frisk slipped to Dubran's other side. "Let me help then." Dubran took the offered shoulder, and between the three of them, began to make slow, if steady progress back towards the camp."

"You all came to look for me?" Dubran asked. "How did you even know?"

"Bane came looking for you at Hogwarts," Asriel told him. "Opal overheard him. Look, I think that's Dumbledore."

But it wasn't just Dumbledore that was joining them. Thundering in from a separate direction was Magorian. Asriel couldn't help but notice that the older centaur had a bow in hand. They both stopped, taking in the unlikely scene of the centaur being partially carried by two humans. Magorian stepped toward them, and Asriel got a distinctly hostile impression, but he was intercepted by the headmaster.

"You will let me see my son," Magorian said through gritted teeth. Dumbledore stepped aside, and Magorian walked over to the three of them. He looked down at them, studying the two humans and centaur. "What happened, Dubran? Why do you need the help of these humans?" Magorian asked, his voice was softer than Asriel had ever heard it before.

Dubran looked down, avoiding his father's gaze. "I... I think I broke my leg," he stammered.

The older centaur looked at him. "It does happen, Dubran. Not often, and it's not easy, but it does happen. Come home and we will look at it together."

"Magorian, sir," Dumbledore began politely. "I would like to offer the services of Hogwarts in seeing to your child's injury." He paused, turned and knelt to address the young centaur at eye level. "My apologies, young sir, I seem to have forgotten your name. May I ask you for it?"

"Dubran," the centaur replied, blinking in surprise. Asriel didn't know why Dumbledore needed to ask, he'd just heard it from the father, hadn't he?

"Dubran," Dumbledore repeated. "If you wish, I would be happy to ask Madam Pomfrey to see to your injury," he stood back up, addressing Magorian again. "If that is alright with you, sir."

"You wish me to be in your debt?" Magorian asked, his eyebrows were furrowed, and his sharp eyes had narrowed on the Hogwarts headmaster. "You wish to have leverage over the centaurs, don't you?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "I want nothing of the sort," he said. "All I know is that one of Hogwarts neighbor's has a child that has had an injury, and is in pain." His eyes focused back on Magorian, refusing to match his glare. "I would do no less to a child of any race that needed help. You know Asriel's story. You may not know all of it, but you know enough of it. I was willing to help enough that I, technically, broke wizarding law to do so."

"Yet Monsters have been subsumed into wizard society," Magorian snapped in response. "Would you give centaurs the same opportunities that you have given Monsters? Would you teach a centaur, my son, to use a wand, as you have taught the monster foal?"

"Magorian," Dumbledore replied, his voice low, but eyes intense. "That hangs on a question. Are you willing to join the greater magical community and take part in the shaping it for future generations?"

"That magical community still includes such monsters, excuse me, creatures, as hags and vampires, Dumbledore!" Magorian snarled. Asriel and Frisk exchanged glances at the use of that term in that way. "Tell me why I should align myself with blood drinkers!"

"Because they are still intelligent creatures," Dumbledore told him. "Vampires in particular are no more deserving of your ire than werewolves are. While many, yes, succumb to bloodlust and darkness, they do not have to. In fact, if more of people treated them with kindness and tolerance, I daresay more of them would have success in not succumbing. As for hags, they do their best. Mostly."

"And goblins?" Magorian continued, "They have fought for years to be awarded such privileges. But Monsters have their first student at Hogwarts within a year of arriving on the surface!"

"You should ask the goblins that question," Dumbledore said, though his patience appeared to be ebbing. "Yes, a lot of them are envious. But at least as many support the Monsters, seeing their acceptance as a way to get what they've wanted as well. But all of this is aside the point, I offer my colleague's assistance in seeing to young Dubran, right now, without any conditions. Are you willing to accept my help?"

"Please, father," Dubran said. "Let the humans help."

Magorian looked between Dumbledore and his son, then Frisk and Asriel. "Very well," he said. "I accept your offer, Dumbledore."

"Excellent!" the headmaster said. With a gesture of his wand, he called a stretcher into being on the ground before him, much as Snape had done the previous year. "Come, let us help him onto the stretcher here. It will be easier for all of us this way. Dubran, perhaps stretch your forelegs out so you do not put weight on them unnecessarily. Very good." When the centaur was properly loaded, Dumbledore levitated the stretcher with another wave of his wand, and set it moving slowly through the forest.

The sun had fully set by the time they'd arrived back at Hagrid and Firenzie's huts. The others had all arrived back before them, and they were about to crowd around when Dumbledore stopped them. "Please give them their space. Severus, would you kindly go fetch Madam Pomfrey?" He asked. Then, a moment later, "And, Pomona, would you be willing to run to the kitchen? Dinner is over, but I am pretty sure everyone is famished. I am sure we could conjure up enough sandwiches for everyone?"

Professors Snape and Sprout gave nods, and headed back up into the castle. Asriel, then, was left to tell the story of what happened in the forest to the others. He was about to ask them what they'd seen when Madam Pomfrey arrived, and shooed everyone away from Dubran so she could attend to him. "Except you, Frisk," she said. "I'm going to need a light, I can't just mend this with Skele-gro, it's not formulated for centaurs."

"Lumostos," Frisk said, lighting her wand with a silvery glow. Asriel strained to watch what was going on, but was too far away to see anything properly. She moved her wand over Dubran's leg before being stopped by the healer.

"Very good, hold it there Frisk," Madam Pomfrey said. It took time, and more then a few spells. But eventually, Madam Pomfrey wiped her brow. "I think that does it," she fished in her robe for a small bottle of potion. "Numbing potion," she said. "But let's see if you can stand, first."

Dubran put his arms out, and tried to rise to his hooves. Asriel hurried over to him, to give him a shoulder to balance on. With help, Dubran was able to stand on all four limbs, shakily at first, but steady quickly after. He looked up at Madam Pomfrey, and bowed as best he could. "Thank you," he said.

"Of course," Madam Pomfrey said, smiling. "Are you still sore? I have the numbing potion here. I had to increase the dose a bit, since it's supposed to be done by weight. It may still be a bit less, but better than a bit much." She opened the bottle, and held it out.

"Thank you again," Dubran said, reaching out, taking the bottle, and downing it in one go.

"While I also thank you for your assistance," Magorian said. "It is time to go."

"No," Dubran said. "I want to stay here. This is where my friends are. They came to find me too."

Magorian stopped in his tracks, staring at his son, then at the gathered students.

"You threatened to attack them, and they came anyway," Dubran continued. "I want to stay here, with them," He repeated.

It was Dumbledore who spoke up, "Dubran, I do not have the ability to take in a border like yourself. You will do much better with the centaurs of your tribe then you would spending all day here. But," and his focused expression turned on Magorian. "That does not mean you are not free to visit after school, should your father agree."

The silence afterward was palpable. Madam Sprout and a house elf, carrying trays of sandwiches, came down the walkway toward the group. Finally, Magorian nodded. "I shall allow it." Asriel released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "But it is late, and it is time to go."

Madam Sprout walked up to them, offering each a sandwich.

"Thank you for finding me," Dubran said, accepting the food. "And Asriel, thank you as well."

With that, Magorian took his own sandwich, and was about to walk with Dubran back into the forest when Dumbledore called out to him. "The answer to your question, Magorian, is 'Yes'. Let us resolve to work on that."

Magorian touched forehead, smiled, and vanished into the trees.

"Eat up," Dumbledore said brightly. "Then it's off to the common room."

"Excuse me, headmaster? Can I ask you a question?" Frisk asked as they walked back up to the castle, after eating. Vampires are able to not drink people's blood?" The question had been on her mind since the headmaster had come to their defense in the woods. Her only experience with the term had been through non-magical stories.

"No, they must drink blood, human blood every so often," Dumbledore explained. "But nothing says they must bite humans to get it. We have muggles to thank for this, actually. They've perfected a method of extracting blood from humans in a painless manner, and not taking so much that it harms one in the long run." He smiled down at Frisk, "I'm sure Lupin taught you something about them, and you will learn more about them next year. They are generally a third year subject."

And with that, they made their way back through the great hall to their common room.

* * *

"Did you find anything in the forest?" Asriel asked, as they got out their homework. He had already detailed finding the coerus again to Frisk and Chara. "It sounds like there's a lot of interesting things in there. What was that about an acromantula colony?"

"That was not nearly as fun as Hagrid though it would be," Chara told them, as Frisk got out her charms book. "Acromanutla are giant spiders..."

There was a bit of a shriek next to them, as Ronald Weasley looked around at her. "Please don't mention those things! I was in there once. It was terrifying!"

"It wasn't that bad," Chara told them. "Hagrid was with me, and none of them attacked me," she shuddered. "The leader, the one Hagrid called Aragog even called him by name. But he didn't look that well, and I think he was blind. But he still had control of the other ones. I don't want to think about what it would have been like if Hagrid hadn't been there. Anyway, you went with Professor Snape..."

There was such a snort of derision from Asriel's right that Chara stopped talking. "Are you alright, Harry?" Frisk looked up from her potions book. Harry was looking at her sister a dark expression that made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.

"Why would anyone want to go with that git Snape?" Harry asked, looking over at their table. "He's such a sadist. You should see him in potions, the way he treats Neville, especially."

"You get the worst of it, mate," Ron added, he lowered his voice, "Neville keeps melting cauldrons and part of the table, which can't be easy to clean up. But he has it in for you. He hated you from your first class. And you didn't hear the way he mocked Hermione in class for what happened in Witches Weekly."

Frisk felt very small. She remembered all too well how the potions master had treated her before she'd befriended Steven Marsh. "He's been a good teacher to me," she whispered. "He went looking for Dubran with me. We even saw the living car. Why would he do that to you?" she looked desperately at Chara and Asriel. "You don't have any problems with him do you?"

"Only that one time," Chara said, "When I caught him by surprise. But all teachers have favorites and least favorites. Has Professor Snape turned one of you into a ferret and bounced you around the entrance hall?"

"Professor Moody says he only dislikes Death Eaters," Asriel added. "But Draco isn't a death eater. What did he do to deserve that happening to him?"

"He's the son of Death Eaters, that's why. And he'd be one just like his parents if he could. All the Malfoys are like that," Ron growled. Frisk's eyes flickered to look at Chara. Her eyes were closed tightly, and her hand was tight on her pen.

"Death Eaters that didn't go to Azkaban," Harry added. "Snape fits that. Draco fits that too. Besides, he aimed a curse at my back. I'm just lucky he had a terrible aim."

"Chara?" Hermione asked, "Are you alright? You look like you're going to be sick."

"I'm alright," Chara said, opening her eyes again.

But Frisk didn't believe her. She could see the tears trickling down one side of her sister's face. "It's been a long day, Chara Dreemurr," Frisk told her. Chara's eyes opened suddenly, and she looked to Frisk in surprise at the use of her full name. "Come on. Why don't we go to bed early tonight. We can practice charms tomorrow."

Chara stared at her, then, without saying a word, stood up and embraced Frisk about the shoulders. Then they both packed their books away and head up to their dormitories. As they left, Frisk could hear Ron asking, puzzled, "What was that about?"


	27. A Potion Mixture

The memory of that event in the common room stuck with Frisk over the next few days. Chara had felt better after a full night's sleep, even if she was pointedly avoiding Harry Potter and his friends.

Outside of the dungeon door that led to Professor Snape's potions classroom, she greeted Steven with an apology. "I'm sorry I didn't find you to help search for Dubran with us," she told him. "We didn't have a lot of extra time."

The Slytherin nodded his acceptance. "That's alright, Frisk. Just, keep me in mind if you do anything else?"

"I will," she said. "I promise." The dungeon hall grew more crowded as others from their year came down for class. "Steven," Frisk asked quietly. "Do you have any idea why the professor hates Gryffindor so much?"

Steven looked down the lines of students standing outside the dungeon door ahead of them. With the exception of Frisk and Steven, the two houses were completely segregated. They were both standing in two color coded lines, not one of the other Gryffindors talking to a single Slytherin. "Probably because of the rivalry between our houses," Steven began, but didn't get any farther before Professor Snape opened the dungeon door with a bang.

The students all filed in to the dungeon, under a shield bearing a golden gryphon on a silver field, and took their seats with the Gryffindors on Professor Snape's right, and the Slytherins to the Professor's left, leaving Frisk and Steven alone in the set of desks in the center. They were revising the swelling potion from the previous class. Frisk's potion was green and somewhat bubbly, it was a little... sludgier than she thought something called a swelling potion would be. But Steven seemed to be having just as much issues stirring it as Frisk was having, so maybe they were on the right track.

As always, directions were on the blackboard. Professor Snape slunk through the class, not so much teaching as observing. He wasn't as irritable as he had been in Frisk's first year, but he still criticized multiple of Frisk's Gryffindor classmates for what seemed to be small errors. Frisk, on the other hand, might as well have been invisible. Frisk hoped that meant she was doing well, but it could have meant that Professor Snape just liked her better than the rest. Or maybe both.

They each carefully added the three drops of spider's blood, and began to stir again. The potion lightened as she did so, and did become easier to stir. "Mr. Wilcox!" came their teacher's voice across the dungeon. "Did you carefully measure those drops?" he asked, bearing down on the Gryffindor.

"Yes sir," Walter stammered.

"I hope you did," the professor said. Frisk's stirring slowed down as she watched, earning her a poke from Steven. "Adding too much spider's blood will irreparably damage the potion, turning it deadly," and his dark eyes glittered dangerously. "Perhaps I should have you test it when it is complete." If Snape could hear Frisk's gasp, he didn't react. He simply turned and walked away.

When Frisk's potion was done, it was a very light green color, and it was about as thick as skim milk. She bottled a draught of the potion, and placed it on the professor's desk for examination. Steven's was next to hers, and very nearly the same color and consistency. There was still a few minutes left before the bell, and Professor Snape apparently didn't have more classwork for them, so Frisk took out a pen and began to work on the antidote essay.

When the bell finally rang, Frisk was intentionally slow in putting away her potion ingredients. Steven had finished with his packing a few minutes ago, and looked over to Frisk in confusion. "Would you like help?"

Frisk looked up to the teacher's desk, then at Steven. "Thanks," Frisk said. "But I want to talk to the Professor." Steven looked surprised, and instead waited patiently, as Frisk continued to pack away her dragon scales, putting the whole kit back in the store cupboard.

As the last of the other students headed out of the dungeon, Professor Snape focused on her with narrowed eyes. "Can I help you, Ms. Dreemurr, Mr. Marsh?" he asked.

Frisk had a pair of questions that she really wanted the answer to, but they were related, and so she started with the one that should have included her. She looked up at the professor, meeting his eyes. "Why do you hate Gryffindor?" she asked.

"Gryffindor is a group of hotheaded, self-righteous, bullies," the professor told her. "That you are an exception has only gotten you subjected to it, hasn't it? Or have you forgotten the way Mr. McLaggen has treated you?"

Frisk had very much not forgotten Connor. He hadn't done anything really overt since he'd earned himself the detention for what happened in the common room, but he had kept up with the minor acts of bumping into her and such. She had been determined to ignore it, but she hadn't forgotten it. She looked up at the professor with half-lidded eyes, wondering how far she should push him. "But we're not all like that, there's good people in Gryffindor too. Just like there's good people in your house. In Slytherin."

"But they are treated as the exception, Ms. Dreemurr, not the rule," his eyes flickered to Steven for a moment before turning back toward Frisk. "Just as I see calm Gryffindors who are willing to be compassionate to everyone as an exception."

Frisk had decided to go for it, "Wasn't Lily a Gryffindor? Don't you think she would want you to be better than that? To be a good example of what Slytherin could be?"

The professor stepped back as if struck, and his dark eyes narrowed even further. "You sound like the headmaster. You wish to prove that Gryffindor and Slytherin can work together, more then just as exceptions? Let's see you prove that."

"How can I..." Frisk began, baffled.

"Figure something out, Ms. Dreemurr," the potions master told her. "I'm sure you will have some idea."

"Well, okay. But why do you specifically hate Harry Potter so much?" Frisk asked. To her right, Steven made a choking a noise, and looked like he was ready to bolt. The professor, on the other hand, staggered backward, struck a second time. His dark eyes glittered at her as his mouth snapped shut. Frisk first thought she was going to face a barrage about how he was the epitome of a Gryffindor student, then wondered if he was going to say anything. He seemed to be staring Frisk right in the eyes, he looked then at Steven, and nodded to himself.

"Potter," he said finally, absently rubbing his left forearm with his right hand. "Does not appreciate the sacrifices that have been made to keep him safe. He continually neglects his schoolwork and throws himself into danger. For this, he has been coddled by the headmaster and the staff. The dark lord is not done with him, or his friends, yet. It falls to me to make sure they are ready when the time comes." Professor Snape's eyes bored into Frisk's. "They would do well to remember this. As would you and your siblings, Ms. Dreemurr. Do not think that the Dark Lord will ignore the presence of monsters."

Steven and Frisk both stared at the potions teacher, then at each other, then at the Professor Snape again. "He who must not be named is dead, isn't he, sir?" Steven asked. His voice wavered, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard any more than Frisk did. "He died when his killing curse rebounded, right?"

"No one," the professor said quietly, in a tone that was so divorced from his normal manner of speaking, that Frisk thought it almost didn't sound like Professor Snape anymore. "Would like that to be true more than me. But I do not believe it is. After all, someone put Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire, and I do not believe Potter could have done it." He snorted, and resumed his normal dry tone, "Though he has jumped in with such fervor that one would be forgiven for believing he did."

"He said thought someone was trying to kill him," Frisk said, remembering the night Harry's name came out of the goblet, "Using the tasks to cover her, or his, tracks."

"The Headmaster will not any students under his watch come to harm," the professor said. "Though I do not know what purpose such a person, whomever it was, entered Potter, and I have given it a lot of thought." The potions dungeon was silent for the next two minutes, as Frisk and Steven digested what they had heard. "If there are no more questions, about Gryffindor, Potter, or Potions, I suggest you head back to your common rooms before dinner. Nothing I have talked about this evening is to be shared, for the dark lord has at had at least one pair of ears in the school this year. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, professor," Steven and Frisk chorused. Picking up their books, they made their way out of the classroom. After leaving, Frisk pulled the heavy door closed behind them with a loud bang. Steven waited for her just before the stairs. "You know," he said, his eyes focused at a point above her, "That shield looks different each time we come down here."

Frisk looked around, not quite sure what Steven was talking about. Then she followed his gaze up to the shield above the stone door of the potions classroom. "A golden gryphon on a silver field?" she asked. "That's what was there when we came down, wasn't it?"

"It was," Steven told her. "It's always one of the house mascot animals. But, isn't it odd?" he asked. "Aren't the house colors for Gryffindor gold and red? Why is it on a silver field?"

"I'm not sure, Steven," Frisk said, now intrigued herself. "Do you remember any of the other shields?"

Steven closed his eyes for a moment. "It was the day after the Headmaster announced the challenge. A snake, I think. A silver snake, on a red and gold field. I even pointed it out." He thought for a second, looked at Frisk, and began to grin.

Frisk was utterly perplexed. "What's so funny?"

"He just said it," Steven said, still grinning. "You sounded just like the headmaster. You said Slytherins and Gryffindors could work together. That's the challenge. Not just two of us, the whole class split up, working together. I mean, it could be any one of his classes, but it'd have to be as close to everyone as it could be." His face lost its grin. "Do you really think we could convince people to try?" he asked. "If it is a challenge, we don't have that much time. Exams start in three weeks."

"Yes," Frisk said, not even taking time to think about it. "And even if it's not a challenge, it's a really good idea." She began climbing the stairs toward the great hall. "After dinner, let's meet in the library. We just need to work out how to ask."

* * *

After the brainstorming session, Frisk headed back up to the Gryffindor common room. She climbed through the portrait hole after giving the Fat Lady the password, and looked around at the various students in chairs and sitting at tables. She spotted Keith Duncan and Keith Masterson sitting together at one of the tables near the stairs to the boys' dormitory, and not with anyone else. Most importantly, Cormac was on the other side of the room.

"Hey Kevin," Frisk said, sliding into a seat next to them. "Have a second?" she asked.

Kevin put down his quill, looking up from whatever essay he was working on, looking grateful for the interruption. "Sure, what do you need, Frisk?"

Frisk had roleplayed a few different scenario with Steven in library, and she'd decided her best bet was to dive right in. She looked at Kevin with a hopeful smile and half-lidded eyes, "Would you be willing to partner with a Slytherin during our next potions class?"

"I'm sorry," Kevin said, blinking in surprise. "You want me to do what?"

"Next potions class," Frisk repeated, maintaining her smile, "Partner with one of the Slytherins. Like Simon Harrison. He's a gobstones player, just like you are."

"Why would I want to partner with a Slytherin, even if he plays gobstones?" Kevin asked, giving Frisk a look that suggested he thought her mental. "I have a potions partner, Keith." Keith looked up from his charms practice to give Frisk a dirty look.

"I didn't mean you weren't good at potions, Keith," Frisk said apologetically. "But it's one of Dumbledore's challenges." Frisk consulted the list she and Steven had come up with. "You could partner with Gregory Berke? I happen to know he's in chorus with you."

"How do you even know that's one of the challenges?" Kevin continued before Keith could respond.

"There's a changing shield above the potions door," Frisk responded. "It always has one house's signature animal, but on the colors of another. Maybe it's not one of the challenges, but for one class, we could try," Frisk said. "If it is, someone has to do it. Why not us?"

"Frisk," Keith told her, looking at the rest of the common room. "You've seen how the higher year students think about that. Why would we want to partner with someone we don't know, just to get ourselves subjected to that kind of treatment?"

Steven had anticipated that sentiment, but it didn't make Frisk any happier to hear it spoken aloud. "We can be better than that, can't we? Dumbledore expects us to be. That might even be the point, to prove we're above the pressure." They were still looking at her dubiously, so Frisk tried her one last idea, "Professor Snape doesn't think we can do it. Wouldn't you like to prove him wrong?" As Frisk hoped, that got their attention. "He thinks that Gryffindors aren't brave enough to work with Slytherin, even to the good of the school, are the exception. I think we are."

Kevin looked at Keith, then back to Frisk. "One class?"

"One class," Frisk promised. "Steven Marsh is setting things up with the Slytherin," Frisk said, mentally crossing her fingers. "Since our next class isn't until next week, we have a weekend to get everyone organized, get a chance for everyone to meet everybody, I mean really meet them."

"Okay, Frisk," Kevin said. "I'll try, once."

Keith nodded his agreement. "If it gets us to Dumbledore's award, we can try. Once."

Over the next few days, Frisk and Steven tracked down members of their year, together where they could, or by themselves at meals or in the common rooms when they couldn't. With the Gryffindors, they relied on the idea that it would somehow 'Beat Professor Snape', while Steven was able to convince the Slytherin students that they would let themselves be shown up if Gryffindor was willing to take part and they weren't.

To Frisk's surprise, there wasn't any serious attempt to stop them. Cormac made loud angry noises in the common room, only to be hovered over by prefects. They told him in no uncertain terms if he continued these rants, they'd be forced to report him to Professor McGonagall. That was enough to keep him in line.

The other likely thorn, Draco Malfoy, had been laying low. Steven had a couple of theories as to why. One, he respected Professor Snape too much to be involved in his experiment. Two, he was really more concerned with Harry Potter than members of Gryffindor in general. Third, and considered most likely, he'd just had another run in with Professor Moody and didn't want to draw any further attention to himself.

It hadn't been easy. But with every successful pairing and agreement to try increased the pressure on those who held out by just that little bit more. Just in case it _was_ one of Dumbledore's challenges. So when potions came around again the next week, and the lines formed outside the dungeon door, it was more chaotic than usual, as everyone tried to meet the counterpart they'd chosen. In the spirit of the event, Steven and Frisk had changed partners as well. Frisk was partnering with Athena Pakenson, a haughty looking blond Slytherin. Steven had partnered up with Walter Wilcox.

Professor Snape opened the door precisely two minutes before class, and they all filed into the dungeon. But this time, instead of filing through in color coded lines, the colors alternated, making them look like some sort of out of season Christmas decoration. They fetched their cauldrons and potion kits, and spread out into the room, red and green at each table.

Through it all, Professor Snape didn't seem like he noticed a single thing out of place."Your swelling solutions were... acceptable," he drawled, focusing on each table momentarily. "As you might be aware, today we will be working on antidotes to certain uncommon poisons. Directions are on the blackboard. Have your essays out for collection, and you may begin."

Frisk and Athena began work, cordially, if more quietly than she worked with Steven. She asked the Slytherin to double check her copied instructions, then did the same for her partner. Then they got out the ingredients, premeasured, and began to work. Through it all, the professor patrolled the classroom, trading their finished essays for graded assignments, and commentary on their most recent in-class potion work.

But he was mostly silent. Frisk had grown used to his tweaks of her housemates, and this period just didn't have them. Even when he had to stop Kevin from adding too much belladona, he did so with nearly none of the venom he normally displayed.

When the bell rang, he held them up before they could depart. "There is no essay for next time. You may have this week off," he said. A gesture of his wand, and a small golden box appeared on his desk. His gaze swept the room, and landed on Frisk.

She shook her head, and pointed at Steven.

The professor raised a single eyebrow, but placed the box down in front of Frisk's normal potion partner. He opened it gently, and held up a large piece of the Hufflepuff shield. "Congratulations to you all. Well done, Mr. Marsh," he said simply, and turned to store the class's potions for later grading.

Frisk caught up with Steven on the tail end of the departing class. "That went surprisingly well," Steven told her. "Getting people like that to work together," he smiled, "Maybe I have a chance in politics after all."

They went up together to let Steven take the applause for finishing the challenge. It wasn't the very last piece they needed. But it was the last of the big pieces. There might be only two weeks until exams, but Frisk was pretty confident they'd finish.


	28. Genocide's End

The calendar was approaching the end of May, and above in the United Kingdom, it was warm. Muggles had gone to wearing t-shirts, and even wizards were wearing lighter robes and forgoing their traveling cloaks. In the underground, Sans had called for Kurt to be once more on the trail of the mysterious Dr. Gaster.

"You think this is the last one?" Kurt asked Sans. They had retrieved the machine, and were bringing it back towards the surface again. The idea both relieved and disappointed Kurt. Technically, playing around in time and space like this was breaking the law, and part of him would be glad that he wasn't risking it any more. But it had been so thrilling, so exciting. The idea that the underground was some sort of nexus of 'possibilities', and that the plight of the monsters had happened in other worlds had generated dozens of ideas for scholarly papers, none of which Kurt would ever be able to share with anybody else.

"almost positive, yep," Sans responded. "after containing the pieces we've already found, i became sure that there is only the one signal left. i guess that there might be two pieces in the same metaphysical direction, but i doubt it."

"Where in the underground will it be, so to speak?" Kurt asked.

"not far from where the barrier was broken," Sans told him. "might even be right up to next to it. got a place that's almost always empty that we can set the machine in." He led the wizard through the long corridor with the backlit stained glass, but instead of heading into the wildflower strewn throne room, he went the other way, down some steps that Kurt had seen before, but never actually gone down. "i should warn you, this was..." Sans said, pushing a door open.

Kurt saw into the room, stopped, and stared. Sitting near the door was a stone box, about five foot long, three feet tall. On the side was a metallic plaque. Sans was still talking, but Kurt wasn't listening, he pushed past the skeleton, kneeling down beside the box, and rubbed his finger over the metal to read a single word: "Chara". He looked up at Sans. "This is where she would have been buried?"

"yep," Sans said. He was looking moodily at the empty spaces on the other side of the coffin. Kurt followed his gaze, but all he saw was an empty area of dust. "she wasn't the only one. dumbledore told you, didn't he? chara fell, then six others, then frisk. after chara died, the king decreed that any human that fell down here had to die. the guard brought them here after they did. asgore stored their souls near the barrier. hadn't met humans before, so i only knew the stories. now? kind of wonder."

"did you actually kill any of them?" Kurt asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"no. made a promise to someone," Sans said. "just watched. i always watched. didn't stop any of the others from attacking them, though. sometimes humans fought back. sometimes they talked 'em out of it. none of them actually made it to the barrier. to asgore. it was orders, but. still."

This was more introspective than Kurt had ever seen the smiling skeleton. Maybe Kurt even agreed with him, at least partly. "You ever tell Asgore this? You worked for him, didn't you?" Kurt thought about it a bit more. "If we blamed you, we'd have to blame everyone in the underground."

"asgore is the king. he's taken full responsibility, and i know he's gone to apologize to the parents of the children in person. in the end, we needed the six souls, i guess. doesn't really make me feel better."

"Then let Asgore take responsibility, and do what you have to help others in the future," Kurt said. "Don't let it eat you up. You have someone to help right now, don't you?"

Sans looked up to the wizard. "yeah. guess you're right." Sans turned back toward the machine, opening the door. "welp. ready to find the last of these twelve monkeys?" Sans asked him.

"Sans?" Kurt asked, turning to look at the grinning skull, though he was glad the skeleton had gotten past his regret, at least, for the moment. "Do you have anything better to do than figure out muggle things I don't understand and making jokes about them?"

Sans tapped the side of his skull for a moment, then shrugged, hand bones upward. "nah," the skeleton told him, winking. "it's a nice break from the skeleton puns that my brother adores so much."

Kurt just let that pass, and climbed in the machine, letting Sans come in afterward. They checked and double checked the machine's instruments. Sans checked his notes, and plugged in their destination. "Ready, Sans?"

Sans nodded, and he punched the button, thrusting the machine into the multidimensional 'motion'. The screen went white, as the engine rumbled and whirred then, as quickly as it started, it stopped again.

When Kurt climbed out, he realized what Sans had been trying to tell him. Where there had once been one coffin, now there were seven, one for each color of the rainbow. Had he checked, he knew Chara's would have been empty, the body (or perhaps its substitute, depending on the timeline) taken to the ruins.

The others... Kurt forced his mind elsewhere, this wasn't his timeline. He put on his invisibility cloak. "Sans? Where are we headed?" he called out. He looked over to the other side of the machine to see the skeleton had pulled out his phone, and was scrolling through it again.

His eyelights were out.

"Sans?" Kurt asked, unconsciously backing up a step. "Sans? Are you okay?"

"they're dead. they're all dead. Papyrus... undyne... just about everyone. alphys has survivors from mtt and the core in the hotland apartments. where was i? where am i?" Sans asked. He looked up at Kurt as a bright blue light appeared in his eyesocket. "and where is that murderer now?"

Sans took off, back up the stairs, Kurt stared after him in shock for a few moments, then charged up the stairs after him. When they reached the top, there was a cry from the direction of the throne room. " _Please don't kill me!"_

Sans didn't even wait for Kurt to catch up, but charged into the throne room. When Kurt got there, he was met with a sight that he didn't really understand. Sans was there, of course. Then there was a large golden flower, chopped nearly to pieces by a young human wielding a sharp looking knife.

Kurt stared harder. Did that flower have a face? Kurt felt his blood run cold. Was that Flowey?

The flower, what was left of it, stared at Sans. "I... I watched you die. Didn't I?"

The other human turned, and Kurt stared, it was a child, who might have been barely Hogwarts age, if that. She was wearing a blue and purple striped shirt. Her half-lidded eyes passed over Kurt without seeing him, and landed on Sans. Then a creepy smile split across her face, she raised the dagger in the air, and began to run towards Sans.

In a blink, Sans simply wasn't there any more. He was on the other side of the room, with one eyesocket now blazing with blue eldritch light. He simply raised a hand, and two large demonic skulls appeared, flanking him. He snapped his finger bones, and they both breathed out large white beams of light. Kurt was nowhere near, and he could still feel the heat simply radiating outward. If it struck, he was pretty sure nothing would have survived.

The girl leaped over the hot death, ready to bring the dagger down onto Sans's skull. And again, he simply wasn't there any more, having backed two feet further into the throne room. "heh. could use some help over here, you know."

The girl took two experimental swings of her dagger and glanced briefly at the flower. He looked up at Sans, but his petals were nearly lifeless. He closed his eyes, wilting back to the floor.

Kurt had to get his brain back into gear. That girl was going to kill Sans if he didn't do something. As she made ready to make another charge, Kurt leveled his wand and shouted "Petrifcus Totalus!" The purple beam struck the child in the back, causing her to freeze where she stood. She wobbled for a moment, unable to move, before tilting over backward.

"i'm sorry, frisk," Sans said. He snapped his finger bones again, and bright white light from both skulls poured over the child. When they stopped, the child was unmoving on the floor.

"Wait," Kurt asked in shock. "Frisk? _Frisk Dreemurr?_ "

"You haven't stopped her," the flower said. "She's just going to try again."

* * *

Kurt put on his invisibility cloak after he climbed out of the machine. "Sans? Where..." but he was interrupted.

"Help!" shouted a male voice from up the corridor, "Sans! Human! Please!"

"What?" Kurt asked in shock. "How can anyone know we're here?"

Sans's eyelights were out, and his phone clattered to the floor. "kurt, get the time turner. don't want anyone to steal our ride," he told him, then ran towards the stairs.

Completely perplexed, Kurt opened the panel, removing the delicate time turner, and followed the skeleton up the stairs. Just as he reached the doorway that led into Asgore's throne room, he felt something sharp cutting into his back and cried out in pain. "Sans!" he cried, and was rewarded with a second stabbing sensation, thrusting into his side, cutting upward.

Kurt fell into the throne room. He could feel his robe becoming sticky with blood. He tried to roll on his back, to get some sort of look at who or what had stabbed him, and was rewarded with more pain. Sans was staring at him, then past him, one eye socket filled with blue eldritch light. Behind him, a golden flower. In the center, was a white face, complete with familiar looking green eyes. Flowey? That had to be Flowey. But if he was in front of him, who had stabbed him?

Sans clenched his hand bones into a fist, yanking it upward.

There was a thud of something behind and above him. Kurt was trying to turn his head, but his back hurt like hell, and it was getting harder to focus. He got a glimpse of someone, possibly a small human, getting up, off the ceiling. Wait, what?

"that's the expression of someone who thought she was done, only to find out she was truly about to get dunked on," Sans said, snapping his fingers, summoning two skulls. "ya know, asriel, i could use your help." Kurt could see the flower start in surprise, and look up at Sans. "tell you about it later. but if that human finishes off kurt and me, you know who's next, don't you?"

The green eyes blinked at Sans, then focused on something on the other side of Kurt's line of vision. "She just comes back. She'll keep trying until we're dead."

"hmm. well. not keeping this loop anyway. not with kurt like that." Sans had to step backward, as the human jumped down from the ceiling, swinging something towards him. But the blow missed, and the human fell back upward to the ceiling. Kurt's vision was really starting to go. "hold her still for me."

Around the flower, Kurt could see a small collection of bright white seeds. A moment later, they encircled the ceiling bound human. The human pushed through one of them, but flinched as she made contact. With that flinch, Sans fired. Bright white hot beams of light poured from Sans's summoned skulls.

Kurt felt his eyes close as a disturbing thump came from behind him, probably the sound of a body hitting the floor. He could hear, from somewhere far away, someone calling his name.

* * *

A sudden cry came from up the stairs, "Sans! Kurt! **Be careful! I don't know where she is!** "

Sans's phone clattered to the floor as Kurt simply stared. "How can anyone know..."

"Kurt, get the time turner. don't want anyone to steal our ride," Sans told him. The skeleton reached down to pick up his phone, but his gaze never left the stairs that led to the throne room.

"...who I am?" Kurt asked, utterly perplexed. He opened up the panel, removing the delicate time turner, and stood. Sans hadn't moved, so Kurt went to join him. "Sans? What's going on?"

"not positive," he said, putting his phone back into his pocket. "don't like my guess, though. follow me." They climbed the stairs. Sans stopped Kurt at the top of the stairs, looking both ways in the corridor before going into the throne room. Unnerved by Sans's sudden paranoia, Kurt pulled the invisibility cloak tighter around him, and stepped into the throne room.

The throne room was not that different from the one in present day. There might have been fewer flowers piercing the dirt floor. But there was one flower, with a worried facial expression staring back at him. That was Flowey. "Was that you?" Kurt asked, "How did you know my..."

"Look out!" the flower cried.

Kurt felt Sans grab his arm, and then had a lurch in the pit of his stomach. A moment later, he found himself standing next to the flower, looking back at the entrance at a small human child in a blue and purple striped shirt. He also thought he was going to be sick to his stomach.

"you don't want to do this, frisk. you're a friend," Sans told the human.

Kurt stared, that sick feeling getting a little bit worse. This child was wearing an extremely off putting smile, and was following through on a dagger thrust that must have been right where he had been standing. But the worst part was the name Sans had called the child. "Frisk? _Frisk Dreemurr_?" he asked in shock.

"that expression," Sans said, a single eye socket glowing with eldritch blue light. "i'd say that's the expression of someone who's died twice in a row. go back, frisk. try it all again. you don't want to do this any more than i do."

Frisk's eyes had narrowed, and she was staring at Sans, but had made no move to attack again. She also didn't say anything.

"what? think i should be saying something about you needing to burn in hell? maybe you should. or, maybe, you're wondering how i know your name. does that matter?" Sans asked. "maybe it does. because it's not the only name i've learned. you've got another voice whispering in your ear, don't you? does that voice respond to 'chara'?"

Frisk took a step forward, the dagger was raised, but there was something in her eyes. It hadn't been there a second ago. He wasn't sure what it was, or what it could mean.

"thought so," Sans said. "the 'fallen human child'." Kurt felt a sudden tension in the air. A moment later, bright colored lights filled the area. Kurt looked down at the bright green heart that hovered inside of him. Sans was bathed in a bright silvered light. In front of Frisk, there was something in the shape of a heart, but covered in what looked brown and crusty, like a scab that had been on the skin too long. "LOVE covering your determination, i see. it's not all yours, is it? not that i can tell, it's all red on red under the LOVE. you picked up a piece of her soul when you fell."

At that, Frisk charged, swinging her dagger at the skeleton, who dodged backward. He snapped his fingers, and a pair of skulls appeared in mid air. They blasted the space between them, forcing Frisk backwards. Kurt backed himself up to, trying to find some sort of cover.

"who's pushing who? is this how chara's going to get revenge on those who abused her? gonna gain strength through killing others? then reset to get across the barrier? don't think it works that way, chara. you didn't really want to hurt the ones who took you in, did you?"

Frisk was on the move again. "Petrifcus Totalus!" Kurt cried out, pointing his wand. As the first word was out of hit mouth, the child looked at him, and dove under the purple light that he fired. She rose to her feet, and kept running, dagger outstretched... until her heart was struck by two white pellets from behind. She staggered, and Kurt got the shield charm up just in time. The dagger was thrust with such force that it nearly penetrated his shield, not quite reaching Kurt's nose. He stared at that dagger, his breathing coming in short bursts. But the shield held.

"or maybe it's you, frisk. did you break the barrier and just get bored?" Sans postulated, "maybe you started wondering what would happen if you hurt people, and just kept going from there? there's nothing for you this way. i ran the numbers after the doctor disappeared. everything ends. don't do this."

Frisk ran back toward Flowey, intent on carving a hole in the flower that had just saved Kurt's life, only to be blocked by a wall of blue ethereal bones. Frisk stared at the bones, unwilling to touch them.

"feel the sins crawling on your back, do ya?" Sans continued, relentlessly. "i've seen it all the other way, though. i know what happens, what could happen. don't think this possibility will lead to mine, not from what i've learned. but there's a way out for you."

Frisk looked up to Sans, a dark expression on her face, and shook her head once. Then she was on him again. Sans held up one first, and pushed it outward. Frisk went flying, back toward the wall. She thrust her dagger into the dirt floor, slowing herself, looking back at Sans with that same dark smile.

"you may think you don't want it, but i think you're wrong. both of you. frisk, my friend frisk, managed not just to break the barrier, but to bring you back, chara. back to a family that loved you, a family that would still sacrifice for you, even now."

Frisk had pulled herself to a standing position, staring at Sans. But her expression was unreadable now.

"frisk told me how toriel kept a chocolate bar in the fridge. its still there in the ruins, now. waiting for you, chara. and you wouldn't believe the presents you got for your first christmas with your real family, frisk. they're back there. they're waiting for you. you just have to turn this around. i know you can."

Frisk simply stood there, still not saying anything, the dagger still held tightly in her hand.

The blue energy was gone from Sans's eye, and the skulls vanished. "and i can't give up on you, frisk. because the frisk I knew never given up on anyone. you brought asriel home, as asriel. you brought chara home. and you didn't know it at the time, but you led me down the path towards getting my father back. it was you who proved to me that anyone could be a good person, if they just tried."

Frisk twitched, her empty left hand moving to rub the spot under that crusty, LOVE covered heart.

"I watched, Sans. You say she would have a loving family. But Toriel struck her, because Chara-Frisk asked to leave the ruins. She said to prove she was strong enough to survive, and Toriel struck her. Every time, every go around." Flowey said as the bones in front of him vanished. "In this world..."

"no, it's not, flowey," Sans snapped, and he turned back to Frisk. "give her one chance," he pleaded. "give torii one chance. just, stand there, and she will realize what she is doing. if that fails, and she continues to hurt you, just come back and tell me: 'torii killed me', and i will let you end it. because i promise, and i swear on Papyrus's name, that will not happen."

Frisk stood there, her eyes closed, listening to a voice only she could hear.

"you can come home, chara," Sans said. "and believe in me. because, Frisk, i believe in you."

Frisk stepped forward and raised the dagger in the air. Sans didn't react, his eyelights were still out. Kurt's wand was out, but he was paralyzed with indecision. If he acted he might... but if he didn't act. Frisk brought the dagger down, into her own LOVE caked soul. As it broke apart, Kurt could see the red light stream free from within. Frisk fell, unmoving, to the floor.

"she's resetting the timeline kurt, we don't have much time, we need to find the piece of Gaster before she does. i'm not sure what would happen if we were still here. i don't want to find out." Sans pulled out his scanner, but was interrupted by Flowey.

"Is that what I saw? Up by Asgore's soul jars?" he asked.

"Maybe," Kurt said. "Sans? What do you mean by 'resetting the timeline'?"

"tell you later. come!" the skeleton said, rushing out the throne room, down a short hall way. Near a spot that Kurt recognized as near the barrier, there was a large mess of broken glass, and, sitting in the bottom of a broken jar, the fourth of Gaster's mysterious 'hands'.

Sans grabbed it, and turned to run back toward the machine when Flowey stalled him again.

"Do you really think Frisk will do better this time?" he asked.

"trust me, asriel," Sans told him. "i trust Frisk. but we need to go. if the timeline ends with us here, we may never get home again." So saying, he raced back toward the machine. Kurt reinstalled the time turner, as Sans set the controls. When Kurt climbed into the machine and closed the door, Sans activated it.

"Now," Kurt said. "What was that about 'Resetting the timeline'?"


	29. Finals Realization

"Well, are you two ready?" Frisk asked as they sat down for breakfast.

"Can anyone actually be ready for exams?" Asriel asked, more groggy than usual, "I never had anything like this in the underground."

"Maybe Hermione. I'm not sure how she does it with all the other stuff she does. I don't know about the rest of us," Chara responded. She felt about as awake as Asriel sounded, searching for anything that didn't actually take preparation to eat.

Frisk looked up from her orange juice to appraise them. "How late did you two stay up studying last night?" she asked. It wasn't quite an accusation, but maybe it should have been.

"Don't know, don't want to know," Asriel muttered. "What do we have today, anyway?"

"History of Magic in the morning, then the Defense practical," Chara told him. "How about you, Frisk?"

"Potions all day," Frisk said, "The practical in the morning, then the written this afternoon."

The bell came, and they parted ways, Chara and her brother headed up the stairwell, and Frisk headed down into the dungeon.

If the truth was to be told, the test for History of Magic was slightly less boring than an actual History of Magic class. There was more than a fair share of multiple guess and fill in the blank. Chara wasn't sure she got the right Goblin rebel; Ripflank tended to run together with Gripshank, but at least she'd correctly identified the inventor of the self-stirring cauldron. Then there were the essays, where Chara was pretty sure some of what she'd written about the Magical Withdrawal From Muggle Society had been made up on the spot, but it had made sense in her head.

When they were told to put down their quills, they silently fled the room, and commenced complaining about the test with the rest of their classmates. Then it was back up to Gryffindor tower, where they had time to study before lunch and their next exam. That's what Asriel was doing, anyway, but Chara elected to take the opportunity to nap instead.

After lunch, they headed down toward Mad-Eye Moody's classroom. A few people were already sitting in the hall, as the door was closed. Posted on the door was a randomized list of the students names. And at the top of the list was... "Me?" Chara said, staring at the piece of paper. "Me?" she repeated.

Asriel went over to Chara's other side to confirm it. "Looks that way. Someone has to be, don't they? At least you'll get it over with, I seem to be near the other end," Asriel said, sitting down next to Dennis Creevey.

Chara felt her stomach squirm, much like if she'd just been elected to test her antidote in front of Professor Snape. But there wasn't anything she could do about it. She was running through the jinxes and charms that Professor Moody had taught them when Mad-Eye himself thumped his way through the now assembled class in the hallway. He looked at the group, then nodded to Chara. "Right, come with me." He thumped past her, opened his classroom door, and led her in, closing the door behind her.

The room had been mostly cleared, with the student's desks all pushed off to the sides of the room, leaving a large open space in the center. On the edge of the room, near Moody's desk, there was a wooden 'dummy' of about her height. It was propped on a stand, dressed in black robes, and 'wielding' what appeared to be a fake wand in one of its hands.

Mad-Eye thumped his way to his own desk, still in its normal position, and sat down in his chair. "Take out your wand, and let's see the Tickling Charm," he said with out preamble, pointing at the dummy to his right.

That was, technically, a second year charm, but she'd been practicing it. "Rictusempra!" she said, pointing at Moody's target. A beam of yellow light emerged from her wand, striking it. Moody nodded to himself, and began to bark rapid fire questions at Chara. He started with the Unforgivable Curses, like where to watch for someone being controlled. He interrupted his questioning to ask her to perform the knockback jinx. It took a moment for her brain to process what it had been asked, then called out "Flipendo!" It took her three tries before the spell was cast properly, but she did manage it.

Moody made a note on a piece of paper, then began to ask about minor dark creatures they might run into. Chara had already had the 'opportunity' to see a boggart herself, kind of. But this time, Moody interrupted himself with a sudden "Expelliarmus!". Chara was caught flatfooted and struck. She staggered backward. Her wand went flying out of her grip, and clattered on the professor's desk.

Chara blinked down at her wand, not quite realizing what happened.

"What have I always said, Ms. Chara?" he asked. " **Constant vigilance!** " he exclaimed. "You never know when an attack might come." Then he gave her a smirk. "Though I suppose you've never been attacked in an exam before. Let us continue," he told her, and continued to ask about some of the other charms, defensive and otherwise he'd taught her.

At the end, he considered his note sheet. "Full marks, I think, Ms. Chara. You had the honor of going first, and thus received no warning of what the exam might be like. I expect you to change that for the rest of them, and that's fine."

Chara looked at Mad-Eye Moody in confusion, "Why would I want to do that? Isn't this supposed to be a fair test? I wouldn't cheat like that."

Moody barked a laugh. "Please, all the houses are the same at exam time. It's the students against the professors. I remember how it works, people telling others what was on the test in other houses, or in previous years. It's fine.

"I'm not above consequences," Chara said, "I mean it."

A wide smile suddenly split Moody's face, accompanied by a gleam in his normal eye. "No, I suppose you're not. That sounds so familiar, somehow."

Did it? It suddenly felt familiar to Chara, too, and she couldn't place it.

"Don't worry, Ms. Chara," Moody told her, still smiling. "Just tell them this exam requires constant vigilance. If I'm asking you to do it, it's not cheating. Go ahead, and tell Michael he's next."

There was something about all of this that felt like it should mean something to her, but what it might be was just out of reach. She headed out of the room to call in the next victim, and give them all the professor's warning.

* * *

Exams were finally over, and Chara couldn't have been more thankful. They'd had Charms, and though Asriel reported top marks. "I never can quite get the dancing feet charm right." Chara sighed. "I knew he was going to ask it, too! It's the hardest thing we've been asked to do all year. We practiced it in the common room this morning, and I still couldn't get it right. I think I performed everything else correctly."

"I remember, Chara. We woke up this morning, went down our charms lists, and we were both convinced he was going to ask that. But we can't be perfect at everything," Asriel told her as they headed into the great hall for dinner. "My matchbox in Transfiguration was still squeaking, and we've been practicing _that_ all month. Uh, who's that with Ginny? Her parents? What are they doing here?" he asked.

"You didn't notice at lunch? The last task is tonight," Chara said. She looked around for a moment. "I imagine that they're here to support Harry. Look, I'll bet that's Cedric's parents over at the Hufflepuff table. You've heard that Harry's adoptive parents are magic hating muggles, right?"

"Oh," Asriel said. "Right." They sat down next to Frisk. "That's supposed to be in the hedge maze on the quidditch pitch, right?" Asriel asked. "Which reminds me," he looked over to the challenge shields. "Hey, look! I think we did it!"

Chara looked over to see some older Ravenclaw and Beauxbaton students at the challenge board, displaying the last piece of the Beauxbaton shield. A roar of triumph filled the entire Great Hall. Dumbledore rose to his feat to acknowledge the accomplishment. "A congratulations is in order, students of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbaton. It was not an easy challenge that was set before you, but you have mastered it! I am sure you are anxious to discuss your reward; but that will come at the end of term feast. But know that I am proud of all of you who had a hand in working together. Tonight, however, must belong to our champions, and the task that will come at the end of dinner. So, students and guests, tuck in."

It wasn't properly a feast, but there did seem to be more food that normal. Between mouthfuls, Chara glanced up to the staff table. "That's the minister, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes," Frisk said quietly.

"Frisk?" Chara asked, "Are you feeling alright? You've been distant all day. Was Herbology that bad? You weren't being tested on golden flowers were you?" That earned Chara a poke in the side from Asriel.

"No," Frisk said, still quietly. She looked down at her plate to avoid looking at Chara directly "I haven't felt well since this morning, it might have been something I ate last night." Frisk rubbed at her eyes, causing them to look red and puffy. "I've been trying not to throw up all day."

"Did you have to say that?" Walter Wilcox complained to her other side. "During dinner?"

"Sorry," whispered Frisk.

"So am I," said Walter, eyeing the plate in front of him.

"Do you think we'll be able to see the third test better than the second one?" Asriel asked, changing the subject. "It was disappointing not to be able to see the champions actually rescue their hostages."

As it turned out, the answer to that question was "Not really." Making their way to the quidditch grounds at the end of dinner, they were not surprised to see the hedge maze, but they were perplexed to see that the stands hadn't actually been raised. The twenty foot hedges made it impossible to see what was going on. "What, exactly, is Mr. Bagman going to comment on?" Asriel asked.

"I have no idea," Chara responded, as she climbed into the stands. It was, at least, warmer this time around. The rest of their friends gathered around, Ginny bringing her parents to sit nearby. Their presence was probably the reason neither Fred nor George came by to take bets.

The first five minutes were somewhat tense, as Bagman's whistles allowed all four contenders into the maze. After that, there wasn't much of anything, and they began to talk among themselves. "So, Asriel," Ms. Weasley asked, "How did you find Hogwarts in your first year?"

Asriel had heard this question before. "It was a great honor to be invited to learn wand magic," he said. "I know some wizards didn't like it, but everyone here has been so nice. Well," he continued, "I mean that they treated like everyone else, which is all I could ask for."

"I'm surprised that Ms. Skeeter hasn't tried to interview you, or written anything about you. Not after the letters to the Daily Prophet from some of the high class wizarding families."

"I'm glad she hasn't," Asriel said. "My parents are not monsters you would want to get upset at you. They might not have wands, but they are both masters of soul magic, and they are very protective."

"They've written in to the Prophet too," Ms. Weasley told them. "They came to a very vigorous defense of Mr. Hagrid. They said Rita should be leaving the students of Hogwarts alone, too. I guess it's easy to imagine what would happen if you'd been targeted."

"Wouldn't have just been her," Chara put in. "I could only imagine what Sans would have done if Rita had come after any of us."

The conversation petered out for a bit. Chara was growing bored, and she was pretty sure that Steven wasn't the only one who'd simply fallen asleep. Which made the sudden appearance of the red sparks from near the middle of the maze all the more surprising.

"Who is it?" Ginny asked, as there was a sudden flurry from the professors at the outside of the maze.

Opal raised her omnioculars to her eyes as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall emerged from the maze, hauling out an immobile dark form. "Krum," she told the others. "The other three are still in, somewhere."

After about another ten minutes, there was an unmistakable commotion around the maze. The rumbling of the crowd made it impossible to ignore. "What is it?" Steven asked, yawning and opening one eye, "Did someone win?"

"I'm not sure," Opal said, raising up her omnioculars. "I haven't seen anyone with the cup. Wait, that's all the professors. They're going in." There was palpable silence of a few minutes, "Fleur's coming out, Madam Maxine has her. She's. walking kind of funny. I don't she's hurt, but she looks like she just woke up."

"They went in to get her?" Chara asked. "Where are the others?" Nobody knew. And if the excitement at the maze was any indication, neither did anyone else. Chara was aware of the sudden tension of Ginny, and of Opal, who still was sweeping the area with her omnioculars. Time seemed to be moving at a crawl until finally...

"Harry!" Ginny shouted, "There he is! Outside the maze, right near the podium!"

Chara stared in the direction Ginny was pointing. Ginny was right, she could see Harry Potter laying on the grass. He was holding the silver triwizard cup in one hand, and in the other... something. A dark form, Chara couldn't see it properly, but a lump had formed in her stomach. The something was dark and unmoving in the flickering torchlight at the maze's entrance.

They were whispers at first, and the lump grew thicker. Then they turned to shouts, and the nightmare became real. "Diggory's dead!"

Opal sat stunned, staring down the stands at the older Gryffindor, himself barely moving, even as Dumbledore reached him. Her hands were shaking she raised the omnioculars to her eyes. "Pleasedon'tbetrue, pleasedon'tbetrue," she whispered over and over again. She raised one hand, turning a dial on a lens to sharpen the image. Then she lowered them again, and there was newly revealed moisture glistening in her eyes. "no," she whispered.

Frisk reached out to take Opal's hand, squeezing it gently. She said nothing at first. Was there anything to say? Chara only felt numb.

"He can't be dead," Opal said. Then she said it again, and a third time. "I... I never told him. I never told him what I thought of him. He was brave, kind," her voice was cracking. "He was always willing to help people. He's the kind of Hufflepuff I wanted to be, and, and..."

"You loved him," Frisk whispered.

Opal didn't respond. She just started to cry, tears splashing down on the wooden stand. "I never told him. He had a girlfriend, and I, and I..." She couldn't continue, she just put her face in her hands.

"You never told him," Frisk said, looking at Opal through her half-lidded eyes. She reached with her other hand for Opal's shoulder, and began to pull her into an embrace.

Frisk had chosen either the exact right, or maybe the exact wrong thing to say, Opal broke down, burying her head in Frisk's shoulder. Frisk pulled her friend into a tight hug, patting her back. Her sister didn't say anything, she just let Opal cry into her robes.

Asriel had just been dumbfounded the entire time. He looked very small and confused, just staring at the scene unfolding at what should have been the tournament podium. It was just how Chara felt. She watched for a while, as people surrounded Dumbledore and Harry, trying to make some sense of how one of the Hogwarts champions had turned up outside of the maze, dead.

The rest of the students were sitting just as shocked, just as unmoving as the Dreemurrs were. Many of them, especially the students of Hufflepuff house, had broken into tears like Opal. Chara just sat, staring down at the scene. Who would have, _could have_ , done such a thing? The crowd had parted slightly, letting her see the terrible form of Cedric, now illuminated in the gloom by the wand light of the triwizard officials. But there was something missing now. "Wait," she said suddenly and loudly, causing Asriel to flinch and Opal to look up at her, "Where did Harry go?"

"He's over there," Asriel said in a small voice, pointing up towards Hogwarts. "Professor Moody is with him, they're heading up to the castle. "He must want to get Harry away from the noise."

In that moment, it clicked into place. She knew exactly what had just happened, and Chara felt her face pale even more than it had when the shouts came up of Cedric's death. "Moody's going to kill him," she said, struggling to get up to her feet. "Moody put his name in the goblet and Moody's going to kill Harry!"

"Chara," Asriel protested, in that same small voice. "There was nothing he hated more than Death Eaters who didn't go to Azkaban. You know how he treated Draco."

"Asriel," Chara said, "He liked me _because_ my parents went to Azkaban. They never renounced the dark lord!" and she began to run down the stands, Asriel in pursuit. Behind them, Frisk had to disentangle herself, and eventually make her way down to find Dumbledore before anything else terrible could happen.


	30. Unsaved

Chara ran as hard as she could toward the castle, Asriel in pursuit. She reached the door, pushed it open, but the entry hall was deserted. "Where would he have taken him? His office, where was his office?"

"On the first floor," Asriel said. "Remember? After we had the imperius curse put on us? This way. But, what are we going to do when we get there?"

"I don't know," Chara admitted. "But we have to do something, stall. Until Frisk can come with Dumbledore." Asriel stopped, around the corner from Moody's office.

Chara continued, reaching the door, pressing her ear to it, needing to hear something, anything. She heard Moody's voice, "The Death Eaters, they returned?"

"Yes," said Harry. "Loads of them..."

"How did he treat them?" Moody asked quietly. "Did he forgive them?"

"Keep him talking," Chara whispered. "Just keep him talking." If he could keep him talking long enough, and Chara thought he might, Chara wouldn't need to do anything. She had an opening if there was a lull and he got ready to kill Harry, but she was terrified. She looked back toward Asriel, mouthing the word Dumbledore. Asriel looked back around the corner and shook his head.

"I have the funny feeling Dumbledore has realized where you have gone by now..." came Moody's voice.

That was Chara's cue. She pounded on the door. "Professor," she called. She tried the door, but it was locked.

"Who is that?" Moody asked. There was an eager edge to his voice.

"It's me," Chara said. "Chara Malfoy. I want to see it, I want to see the end of the boy who took down the dark lord."

Moody gave a chilling laugh. She heard footsteps, and a moment later, the door clicked open. Chara stepped in. Moody's magical eye was focused on Harry, himself sitting in the center of the room. Moody's wand was focused on Harry's chest. Without wavering his wand, Moody closed, relocked, and rebarred the door. "When did you realize who I was?" Moody asked.

"In the exam," Chara lied, though she really should have recognized it then. "No one is above consequences. That was something my father – my birth father – used to say. Right before he would punish me for something I had done." Elsewhere in the room, Chara saw what appeared to be a mirror. While there were three larger shadows in the back of it, it appeared to be showing, not a reflection of Chara, but an image of her, none-the-less. She wrenched her gaze back to Moody, "What about me? When did you recognize me?"

"Jasper," Moody chuckled. "He had the cell next to me in Azkaban, until my mother broke me out. I realized who you were when I saw you and your adopted brother in the hall. You were with that cousin of yours," his good eye flickered to Harry, "the one raised by coward traitors, had been about to bully your 'brother'. You have changed surprisingly little. Perhaps whatever happened underground caused that. You should be older than Draco, not the other way around. But it wouldn't do for me to ask. After all, Alastor Moody would have never recognized you."

"You're a _Malfoy_?" Harry sputtered, staring from Moody to Chara.

Chara ignored him. She tried to keep from staring at the 'mirror', where something was clearly walking towards the glass. She had to think of something to keep not-Moody stalled, "No. I suppose that would have given the game away, wouldn't it? Did you do something to Victor Krum and Fleur Delacour?" she asked. "In order to pave Harry's way?"

"Yes," he said. "I was able to see through the hedges with Moody's eye. I stunned Fleur as she passed. Then I used the Imperius curse on Krum to try to remove Cedric as well." His good eye flickered to Harry again. "It didn't work did it? You must have both touched the cup at the same time. All my plans, and I succeeded on luck. It is still a success, though, isn't it?"

"How was it you? How did..." Harry said, turning back to Moody.

"Oh, it wasn't easy," Moody said. "So much had the potential to go wrong," and he explained everything. How he'd managed to confund the Goblet of Fire. How he'd tricked Hagrid into showing Harry the dragons, after Chara didn't realize the book had been meant for him. How he'd given Cedric the clue about the orb, and Harry's friend Dobby the information about gillyweed. Harry kept sputtering how all this was impossible, but Chara kept silent, as long as Moody was talking...

The shapes in the mirror were starting to clear through the fog, and they were moving faster. "Well planned, all of it. Sir," Chara said, when Moody had finished. "And now you plan to kill Harry? Won't that upset the dark lord? Isn't that something the Dark Lord would want to do himself?" Chara regretted the question as soon as she had asked it.

"It was always going to be my responsibility," Moody said. His grin had gotten wider, more insane, and his 'normal' eye was bulging outward. "If I couldn't bring him to Voldemort, if I was exposed, or if he escaped, my task was clear. I was to kill Harry Potter. Now, it is that time, and you get to watch it. Just like you wanted. Av..."

" **Stupefy!** " came three distinct voices from the other side of the door. The combined spell shattered the door, raining wood down on both Chara and Harry. The spell knocked the professor to the ground, and he lay there, motionless. On the other side of the now open door frame was Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Headmaster Dumbledore. Behind them were Asriel and Frisk.

Chara had never seen the Headmaster like this. A palpable aura of power surrounded him, like one of Alphys's animes come to life. His face radiated a terrible fury, and any semblance of the kindly headmaster was gone. She backed up several steps until she found the wall.

Professor McGonagall made a beeline for Harry. "Come along, Potter, Dreemurrs" she told them, her mouth was twitching. "Hospital wing,"

But Dumbledore forestalled her. "No. He needs to know who put them through this, he needs to understand." When Harry began to wonder aloud how Moody could have done any of this, Dumbledore shook his head. "This not Alastor Moody. You've never known my friend Moody, none of you have. The real Moody would have never taken you from my side tonight. I should have noticed quicker..." He frowned suddenly, and his head twitched to the side, just for a moment. "No, Professor Snape, do not take them either. I must ask young Chara how she realized Harry was in danger. In fact, Chara, do you have a guess at who this really is, as well?"

"My father's best friend," Chara whispered, her eyes cast down to the floor. "Bartholomew Crouch, Junior."

"It can't be," McGonagall said, "Crouch was locked up in Azkaban."

But Dumbledore nodded. "Severus, instead, I need your strongest truth serum, please. Then go to the kitchen and locate the house elf named Winky, bring both up here, as soon as possible. And Minerva, out in Hagrid's pumpkin patch, you will find a large black dog. Take him up to my office and tell him I will be with him shortly."

Chara looked at Frisk and Asriel. Asriel shrugged back, Frisk's expression was unreadable.

When they had left, Dumbledore retrieved both a hip flask and a keyring from Moody's pocket, then set about unlocking a trunk in the center of the room. After the first attempt, he eyed the keyring, and skipped to the last key on the ring, and used it to unlock the trunk again.

The children stepped forward to peek into the trunk, and saw the second – real – Moody in the trunk. He was motionless, with a stump where a wooden leg should be, and an empty eyesocket where the fake eye probably was originally. "One of you," Dumbledore called from inside, "toss down the imposter's cloak. He's cold, but I do not believe it anything Madam Pomfrey cannot heal."

Frisk already had the cloak in hand, and tossed it down to the waiting Headmaster. After he covered up the real Moody, he climbed back up to join them. "Thank you, Frisk," he told them. The next thing he did was to empty the imposter's flask onto the ground, as a thick liquid poured out of it. "Polyjuice potion, of course," he said knowingly. "Every hour, on the hour. From the flask, the only place Moody ever drinks from, he's well known for it. But maybe tonight..." Chara didn't know what polyjuice was, but it was not the right time to ask.

They waited, for what seemed like a long time, until, finally, the imposter Moody began to change. The wooden leg fell off, as a second, whole leg, grew in its place. Even more creepy to Chara was when the magic eyeball popped out a moment later, and went rolling across the floor, as a second normal eye took its spot.

"Barty Crouch," Professor Snape said, coming to a screeching halt in the doorway.

"Good heavens," Professor McGonagall echoed, stopping dead right behind Professor Snape. "You were right. Barty Crouch."

"And you has killed him! Master Barty, master Barty!" cried another voice. Rushing around the legs of the professors was a house elf. Winky was the one Dumbledore had called for.

"He is merely stunned. The truth serum, please, Severus," the headmaster requested. Chara watched as he forced open the now revealed Crouch's mouth, poured in a few drops of liquid, and proceeded to interrogate Barty Crouch.

Unable to stop himself, Crouch told them everything. How he'd escaped from Azkaban, the events of the World Cup, the summoning of the Dark Mark, how the Dark Lord had rescued him from his father's enslavement, and how he'd come to Hogwarts. And how he killed his father, transfigured the body, and buried him. Then, in the end, how he'd tricked Harry Potter, and engineered the revival of the Dark Lord himself.

Through it all, Winky the House-Elf grew more and more distraught. Frisk had knelt on the floor, draping one arm around the house-elf's tea cozy, allowing Winky to cry into her shoulder. None of the Dreemurrs said anything. At the end, the Headmaster used some sort magic to bind Barty to the chair he was sitting on.

"Minerva, may I please ask you to stand guard here? I need to take Harry," and Dumbledore's gaze fell upon Frisk. He looked torn for a few seconds before coming to a decision, "I need to take the children upstairs, to my office. And Severus? Please go fetch Madam Pomfrey, she will need to see to the real Alastor. After you do that, go find Mr. Fudge, I suspect he'll still be trying to keep order near the maze. Undoubtedly, he will want to question Crouch himself."

They both nodded, though Professor McGonagall made a most unpleasant face, as if she'd been asked to swallow a bug.

The headmaster helped Harry to stand, and began to lead them out. Frisk looked between Winky and Harry, when their head of house spoke up, "Go with the headmaster, Ms. Dreemurr, I will call Dobby to see to Winky here."

Frisk let out a breath, gave Winky one last hug, and rose to her feet. She moved to Harry's side, helping Dumbledore support the injured older student. "Professor," Harry mumbled, "Where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"

"They are with Professor Sprout," After all this time, the Headmaster's voice finally began to crack, with sorrow and exhaustion. "She was his head of house, and knew him best."

"Where are Hemione and Ron?" Asriel asked.

"With Ms. Weasley," was the answer. "Perhaps in the hospital wing by now."

They reached the office. Dumbledore gave the password to the Gargoyle, and led the way up the spinning spiral staircase. The large black dog that Dumbledore had Professor McGonagall lead up to the office was there, siting near the stairwell. Chara gave a yelp of surprise as the black dog morphed into Sirius Black.

She'd seen him once, kind of. He looked somewhat healthier, at least like he'd eaten a few meals since she'd seen him through Frisk's eyes. But the eyes had the same haunted look they'd had before, and they were focused on Harry. "I knew something like... what happened?

Professor Dumbledore had them all sit, and told the fugitive everything they had learned from Barty Crouch. "There is still one piece of the puzzle eluding me. Ms. Chara, I need to know how you picked up on Crouch's duplicity."

So Chara told him how Crouch had finally recognized her in the hallway, seeing her with the cousin, and from there treated her as the teacher's pet. The tipping point was the exam, where she'd accidentally used one of her father's catchphrases, and Mr. Crouch had picked up on it.

When Chara was done, the headmaster nodded. He looked between Frisk and Harry, and settled on Harry next. Fawkes was there, resting on Harry's lap. "And now, Harry, I need you to tell me everything that happened after you touched the portkey."

Over Sirius's objections, Harry did so. Chara felt like an intruder, as Harry explained how the dark lord had ordered Cedric to be killed, but Cedric had fled first. Then how they'd captured Harry, seen a dark shimmering potion that would revive the dark lord. How they'd taken some of his blood. Harry had held up his torn robe, showing the cut on his arm. How Cedric had come back to his defense when the dark lord had ordered him to duel, only to be killed by the dark lord himself. Then how the wands connected..." and his voice broke.

Dumbledore quietly guessed the next part, how the reverse spell effect had summoned some echo of Cedric, and then, Harry's parents. "But no wand magic I understand can return a departed soul to its body," Dumbledore finished, though his eyes flickered to the Dreemurrs. "Sirius, please escort Harry down to the hospital wing. I have one last question I must ask Frisk here."

Mr. Black transformed himself back into the large black dog, and led the way back down the stairs, Harry bracing himself against him.

"Frisk?" Chara asked, perplexed. "What could he want to ask you?"

Fawkes propelled himself back into the air as Harry departed, moving to perch on Frisk's shoulder, and rubbed his head gently on her cheek. Frisk didn't respond, and lowered her head, so she didn't meet the headmaster's eyes.

Dumbledore didn't say anything, perhaps he wasn't sure how to ask. "You told me a story once, Ms. Frisk. About a monster child, who fell in front of you. And how you turned back time itself to save him." Chara and Asriel stared at each other, then at Frisk. "Will you do the same for Cedric," he paused, and bent down, looking at Frisk's face. "Or have you tried already?"

For the first time that night, Frisk began to cry. She fell into a heap on the floor, tears now free flowing, and she buried her head in her heads. "I tried. I tried so many times. I couldn't save both of them."

That's when Chara realized it. The memory of exactly what she'd be tested on, Frisk ready to comfort Opal when she had just seen Cedric, Frisk not arguing about Moody knowing Chara's parents. She'd known it was all about to happen. She'd seen it before. She had _done_ all this before.

"The first time, I told Cedric what would happen. He didn't believe me at first, so I had to explain everything to him, how I saved Asriel, brought back Chara... and... and he must have believed me in the end. Because he walked out of the maze, but Harry never came back. At all. And Professor Moody, Mr. Crouch, I mean, he disappeared. So I tried again."

"The second time, I told both of them, I told them everything that happened in the original loop, and I told them what happened the next time around. I had to try something. When they reached the center of the maze, though, they refused to take the cup, and... and.." Frisk rubbed her eyes. "Crouch took control of Cedric by the Imperius charm. He used Cedric to force Harry to take the cup... and then he killed Cedric. I tried again."

"The third time, I warned Cedric. I had to be cryptic. So I told him that if he found himself somewhere strange, it wouldn't be part of the task. He would need to run, as far and as fast as he could. I'm not sure what happened, because neither came back. Maybe Cedric survived, wherever they were teleported too. But I didn't know, so I tried again."

"The fourth time, I just went to your office, waited for you to come out in the morning. I told you that Moody was the spy of the big V, that he was really Barty Crouch Jr. Because I'd seen it. You believed me, but somehow Crouch found out about it."

"That mirror, in his office," Chara said. "I'm sure he saw you telling Dumbledore, if he was in his office."

"So he ambushed Harry outside Gryffindor tower, and killed him on the spot. He killed Ron and Hermione too, and hurt a lot of others, trying to escape," Frisk continued. "I tried _again_."

"The fifth time I tried during breakfast, but Crouch was sitting right next to Dumbledore and heard me. He didn't get Cedric or Harry, but he..." and Frisk broke into fresh sobs, looking at Asriel and Chara. "He killed both of you, and others, trying to get to Harry. The same thing happened when I tried again at lunch. He even managed to kill Ginny's mom. Each time, it has gotten a little harder for me to go back. I think it's because I don't have Chara's soul in me any more. I don't know how many times I have left. I asked everyone I could think of, you, Cedric, McGonagall... and he volunteered."

"What do you mean, he volunteered?" Asriel asked, though Chara thought they all knew.

"'If that's the way it was originally, then let me sacrifice myself,' Cedric told me. 'It's where I belong, between he-who-must-not-be-named, and Hogwarts. Just tell me before I go, okay? So I have the chance to say goodbye to mother and father, please.'. How could I tell him no? But you've seen the result. I couldn't save him."

"Frisk, I am sure you tried to the best of your ability, but you cannot save everyone," Dumbledore told her.

" _ **WHY NOT?**_ **"** Frisk screamed, suddenly enough to make Chara start backward, and almost tip over her chair. "I was able to save Asriel, Chara... why can't I save Cedric too?"

"You're not all knowing, Frisk. You are not all powerful, and really, who would want to be? That's more responsibility than I would wish on anyone," Dumbledore said. "You have been so fair with the use of that ability, a far better person than a lot of wizards would have been, and I include myself in that."

"But it's **my** fault that Cedric is..."

"It is most definitely not your fault," Dumbledore interrupted firmly. "Never forget that there are forces that wanted all this to happen, and they take action as well. Tonight, they had their plan well thought out, better than our – my – defenses. Blame _me_ for Cedric's death, for I should have found the imposter. Next time, I must do better." he sighed.

"Headmaster?" Chara asked. "I thought apparition and portkeys were impossible to use on Hogwarts grounds. What happened?"

"That is also my fault," Dumbledore explained. "Ludo Bagman, though I now suspect the real suggestion came from someone else, was convinced the fairest, and most dramatic, way of discovering the winner was to turn the cup into a portkey. So I did, and allowed that particular defense to be lowered. Mr. Crouch layered a portkey charm on top of mine, causing it to send Cedric and Harry to where Voldemort was waiting. My charm, at least, brought one of them back again." Dumbledore looked very old and tired at that moment. "I want to go see Harry, but I must go to meet with Fudge. Frisk, you have Madam Pomfrey's trust. Can you ask her to make sure Harry gets a dreamless sleep potion? Do not let her turn Sirius away, either. Harry does not need to say anything, tell him I will alert the school tomorrow. Is that alright?"

"Okay," Frisk said, quietly, as Fawkes returned to his perch. One by one, the Dreemurr children stood, to make their way down stairs to the hospital wing. They actually caught up with Harry in the hall, and were able to help him the rest of the way.

There was such a crowd when they arrived, Ms. Weasley, Harry's Friends, even Ginny was there, looking torn about who needed comfort more, Harry or Frisk. She settled on 'both', and helped Frisk get Harry into a bed. Frisk then went to relay Dumbledore's instructions, as the large black dog rested its head near Harry.

Harry dropped off to sleep soon after being given a dreamless sleep potion. Which meant he was not available to answer any questions, so Frisk, Asriel, and Chara were instead peppered with questions they really didn't want to answer. "The headmaster asked us not to," Chara repeated. "He'll be here soon after he meets with the minister."

As it turned out, he arrived with the Minister, and Professor McGonagall. And they arrived yelling. Chara backed up into Ginny, and they all tried to make themselves as small as possible. Fudge and Dumbledore argued so loudly that even Harry woke up, yelling about who he'd seen as Death Eaters. When Harry yelled that he'd seen the Malfoys, the Dreemurrs and Hermione shared furtive glances. "Lucius Malfoy was cleared, even if his brother wasn't!" exclaimed Fudge.

They went onto argue about whether the Dark Lord has actually returned, what to do about it if he had. Perhaps most disturbingly, they argued about whether or not Harry was some sort of glory hound. Then Professor Snape showed his dark mark.

"Did you know he had that?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Chara responded. "But Dumbledore trusts him. And, he's showing it publicly, although he's ashamed of it."

"I trust him too," Frisk whispered, so only Chara and Asriel could hear. "He tried to shield students on the loop when Crouch attacked the great hall."

Fudge made to leave when Frisk spoke up, louder than she had all day. "Minister, if this was the work of a madman... who killed Cedric? Because it wasn't Mr. Crouch in disguise, he was outside the maze with the rest of the patrolling judges." Fudge stared at her, but his only response was an angry glare. Then he was gone, loudly slamming the hospital wing door behind him.

Dumbledore watched him go, his icy blue eyes following Fudge's trail, then he shook his head. "Disappointing, but not unexpected." But he was apparently prepared for this moment, he had requests for just about everyone. For Bill Weasley, for Professor Hagrid and Madame Maxine, Madam Pomfrey, and then, once the room was clear, for Professor Snape and Sirius Black.

"I heard you spoke to my innocence," Sirius said to the potions master, after transforming to Ms. Weasley's shock. The next words sounded like they'd had do be dragged out. "Thank you."

Professor Snape regarded the fugitive coolly. "I do not like you, Sirius. Your choice of friends nearly got me killed. But it was misplaced trust that got Lilly and Mr. Potter killed, not your hand. And... I know a lot about misplacing trust."

"That is a good start," Professor Dumbledore said. "And I trust you both. I need you to lay aside your differences and work together."

Professor Snape looked at Frisk, then turned back to Sirius. Then he, and Sirius Black stepped forward, and for a moment, clasped hands.

"Very good. Sirius, I need you to find the old crowd. Remus Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher, Arabella Figg. You can stay with Lupin, he's residing in Asgore's old home at the moment. I will contact you there." Over Harry's protest, he was off.

"And you, Severus, you know what you will need to do. If you are ready, if you are prepared."

Professor Snape turned to Frisk, and knelt down in front of her, looking her directly in the eyes. "I will never forget what you have taught me, Frisk. The lessons I should have learned before, from Lilly. If, in the next year or so, it seems that I have forgotten them, it is because of a persona I have had to adopt. Please, do not let that change you. Do not think ill of me, for I am doing this for you, above all others."

Frisk held out her hands, and allowed Severus Snape pull her into a hug.

Then he stood, his face once more a mask. "I am ready," Professor Snape said, and he began to make his way to the door.

"Good luck!" the headmaster called. Then, after Snape left the room, he addressed the others. "I must go see to the Diggorys," he said. "Harry, drink the rest of your potion. I will see you all later."

"Wait, Dumbledore," Asriel said. In that moment, Chara had never seen her brother look more like her adopted father. Regal, and sad. Very sad. "What can the monsters do? Please, let us help as well."

"I will think on it, Asriel, and I will be in touch with you, and your parents," Dumbledore promised, and he closed the door behind him.


	31. Get Back In Time

"This is it then?" Kurt asked. Sans had sent an owl to Kurt the previous day. Now, only a bright, warm, late June Sunday, they were in the underground again. With any luck, they would come back with a third member, though how he would fit in the machine Kurt hadn't quite worked out yet.

"i think so," Sans said, passing Kurt a sheet of calculations.

Kurt double checked the skeleton's figures. "Why are these numbers so close to the ones you have listed for our home timeline? The rest of them were miles apart."  
"i think they are our home timeline, one of them, anyway. i'm pretty sure this is one of the timelines that frisk, our frisk, went through when trying to find a way to save asriel. she told me, back in september, that she saw Doctor Gaster on one of his loops. hopefully, we end up in the same spot."

Kurt looked down again at the paper Sans at given him. "Waterfall, huh? Guess we better get moving then. We can take the boat from Hotland, right?"

"yeah, guess so," Sans agreed.

They took the machine down Alphys's elevator, through the lab, and to the Hotland dock. "Sans," Kurt said, "When we get there, what are we actually going to do? You postulated that he somehow exploded his soul into these hands of his. But how will we get it back out of them to him?

"don't know," Sans admitted. "i'm hoping that once we find him, we'll come up with something."

"That doesn't sound very encouraging," Kurt said, as he began to load the machine onto the boat person's boat. He was struck momentarily by the fact the monster always seemed to be exactly where they needed the boat to be. He pushed that aside. "Do you have any real idea?"

"i really don't," Sans apologized. "there's really only one way to find out,"

"I guess, but it doesn't make me feel confident." The boat slowly moved through the water. The boatmaster, normally a purveyor of esoteric wisdom, only hummed as they went up the river to the river dock. They unloaded the machine, and Sans led him down a path. Sans was unusually quiet, not saying anything as they continued.

"Uh, Sans?" Kurt said.

Sans kept walking, and only stopped when Kurt grabbed his bony shoulder blade. "hmmm?" Sans asked. "oh." In front of them was a gap in the road, with a stream running through it. It was one that Kurt probably would have been able to jump, if he'd had too. But trying to get the machine over it with a simple levitation and locomotion spell might prove disastrous.

"forgot about that," Sans said. He looked around briefly. "used to be a bird here. he got paid to take you over this gap. uh, don't suppose you know a way over this."

"Not without a magic carpet," Kurt said. "Yes, they exist. But they're banned in Britain, too much of a risk getting exposed. They can't fly as high as a broom without getting wet and threatening to fall apart. In drier areas, they work just fine, but not here. There is a flying charm, but that's something beyond even NEWT level, and the only person I know that's possibly mastered it is Dumbledore. We need some other way across."

"good thing i came prepared then," Sans told him. He shuffled through his pockets, producing several groups of large seeds. He leaned over and threw four of them in the water. The floated into the cavern wall, creating a line of flowers, that then opened up. He repeated this a few times, using each new row of blossoms to progress a bit further. "all good,"

"Huh," Kurt said, testing his weight cautiously on the first of the blossom, and it held. He even pushed pretty heavily, and was still supported. "What are those?" he asked, as he put the machine back into motion.

"bridge seeds," Sans told him. "Don't last a long time, but really handy things in the underground."

"I'll say," Kurt said, too impressed at the seeds to be grumpy at Sans trolling him again. "I can only imagine herbologists getting their hands on those."

"king asgore's been growing them to share topside," sans told him. "anyway, we're almost there."

As it turns out, 'there' was a small cave with a small table on it. Kurt walked over to examine it. "Is that a piece of cheese? Trapped in some sort of crystal? Where did _that_ come from?"

"some mysteries are beyond even me to solve," Sans said, grinning at him. "but here we are. let's set up the machine." They did, putting in those delicate parts, possibly for the last time. "one last trip, so grab your neuralyzer." he made a face. "eh, that one wasn't very good, but it doesn't matter. you ready to go?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, but they climbed in, and set the machine. As always, the world outside the window faded to black, then white. And, after a moment, faded back in. They got out of the machine, and Kurt waited as Sans to perform his now usual phone checking ritual. "What have you learned?" Kurt asked the skeleton.

"nobody's seen frisk recently. Papyrus is saying something about thinking she might be in trouble, and we should keep the king from fighting... oh. we're then. we ought to be careful, don't want flowey to grab our souls, too."

"What?" asked Kurt, shocked. "What do you mean by that?"

"time for explanations later. time for moving right now. this room should be safe," Sans assured him. He led them back the way they had come.

This was initially disconcerting to Kurt, as the cavern corridor seemed longer, much longer than when they'd been in it in their own time line. It only grew more disconcerting with the presence of a door, a grey stone door. It absolutely had not been there before.

Sans opened the door, walking inside. "shut the door behind you. the stone should keep us safe from six-souled flowey."

Kurt did, but it had the effect of turning the entire room pitch dark, the only thing visible was Sans's eyelights. He pulled out his wand, lighting it with Lumos, and followed behind Sans. The interior cavern wasn't that big. It was only a small room, and it didn't go anywhere. But it was the being in the center of it that caused a chill to go down Kurt's spine.

Standing there, staring forward, possibly at Kurt, was a ghostly figure. It might have been a skeleton, but there were cracks, even missing pieces of the skull, causing his eye sockets to look deformed, and even stranger. It was wearing a black, almost wizard like lab coat.

But the change in Sans was making it worth it.

"Dad," he said, even his voice changing. "Dad? Can you see me? It's me, Sansy."

The skeleton just continued to stare at, or even through, his son. Sans reached up to try to take him in the arm. But he wasn't able to, his hand simply passed through the apparently opaque mysterious figure. "No," whispered Sans. "Dad. Gaster! It's me..." He tried again to take hold of the figure, but again, his hand found nothing there.

The figure just stared for another minute or two. Then, without warning, his eyes opened wide, and eyelights ignited, focusing on Sans. Only those eyelights moved, the rest of the apparition was immobile.

"Dad, I found them. I had to work really hard for them, but I found them." He pulled, still in the plastic he'd used to carry them, the four hands they'd collected from across different times, possibly different worlds.

The apparition spoke, at least. Its mouth moved. The noise it made was so layered that Kurt couldn't actually make out what he said. It was like it was both echoing from a great distance away and not actually fading, resulting in an unintelligible cacophony of sound. Sans didn't react to the noise, but tried to take the apparition's sleeve a third time, again to no effect.

It knelt, more or less, studying the hands they'd collected. Its eyes grew wide again, and it began to glide toward the door, only to be stopped by Sans's shout of "NO!" It turned back, studying Sans again.

Sans had his phone out. "Not yet, Flowey's about to pull every soul in the underground. We can't go anywhere until he's done with that."

They waited, Kurt rather uncomfortable. "Sans? Do you even know where he might have been going?"

The apparition's eyelights burned in Kurt's direction, and he tried again to communicate. But to no greater effect. Finally, to at least apparent apprehension, the specter pulled a hand (that had a hole in it, adding to the shock value) from his coat, pointed to itself, then to the floor.

"Your lab," Sans said. "What's in..." Sans eyelights glinted. "Of course. _That_ is in your lab."

"What's in his lab?" Kurt asked.

Sans looked at his phone again. "Alphys just woke up, must be safe to go now. Come on."

The apparition left first, right through the door. Sans and Kurt left the more normal way. Sans stared after the apparition, watching him leave. He turned back to Kurt. "come on. everyone from snowden will be taking the boat. we can leave the machine there. we'll take a shortcut."

"What?" Kurt asked, as Sans took Kurt's hand in his bones.

"don't worry," Sans said. "i know plenty of shortcuts."

Kurt had been in Alphys's lab before, at least in passing. But he'd never taken the elevator down. He hadn't even known there was an elevator. The area was dark, and rather foreboding looking. It actually reminded him of the days when he had to work late in the Ministry, when everyone else had gone home, and the lights had been turned down, but the machines kept on turning. It was the same kind of ominous feeling he had gotten when he'd first started working.

Sans led him out of the elevator, around a corner, and into a dormitory, of sorts. The apparition was waiting for them, hovering near one of the beds. Down another corridor, and... "What is _that?_ " Kurt asked.

This time, "That" looked like a large demonic, goat's head. It had large wires suspending it over a pit. Sans went over to a panel on the wall, and expertly manipulated it. The machine lit up, giving it the impression of glowing eyes. A small platform emerged from the depths, putting it right under the 'mouth' of the large device.

"step one," Sans said. He took out the hands they'd collected, putting them on the platform's device. "draw the determination, the soul, out from these pieces. eh, step back, kurt."

Kurt stepped back, as the machine activate. A small, needle-like protrusion came from the 'mouth' of the Determination Extractor. The hands... bubbled... for the lack of a better term, before going inert again. Sans turned the machine off.

"step two, and i never thought i'd be saying this," Sans said, his eyelights glinting. "but i actually will need to reverse the polarity of this thing, and turn the determination extractor into a determination injector."

Kurt suddenly realized he'd heard of this before. "That, that's how Flowey got created, right? The scientist, whatever her name was, when alphys injected determination drawn from the fallen human souls, into a flower that had been unknowingly coated with Asriel's dust? Wait, wait. Why can't you just give him a jab with a regular needle?"

"monster souls are a bit... weaker, there's less to them than a human soul. one of the purposes of the experiment was to find out why. i don't want to risk losing any part of Gaster's soul. here. give me a hand with this," Sans said.

They worked for a good fifteen minutes, turning around certain key components. Sans doing something called 'reprogramming' to others. The apparition watched them, giving commentary in the same unintelligible language he'd used previously. Eventually both skeletons were satisfied with the changes, and the apparition floated to the platform.

"you okay there, Dad?" Sans asked.

Could a floating apparition of a skeleton look nervous? This one didn't seem to. On the other hand, Sans didn't look nervous either, but Kurt had been around his friend long enough to know he was. Would this work? The idea of someone being able to recover a soul was thrilling to Kurt. This was magic he could bring to the department of mysteries. The completely new art of soul magic, and this was a way to research it!

The voice answered. Kurt wasn't sure it was an affirmative answer, but it was an answer. Sans looked for a few more seconds, then flipped the switch again.

Once again, the machine flared to life, the needle-like protusion extending again, piercing the now uncovered bone of the apparition. He screamed. This time Kurt was sure of it. The scream was so loud, so discordant, and he had to clap his hands over his ears.

And, after a few seconds, the noise began to fade. Kurt looked up, and saw the apparition itself was fading. Fading right out of reality! "Sans!"

But Sans was too shocked to move. He didn't manage to turn off the machine until Doctor Gaster was well and truly gone. When finally did, he didn't shout, he didn't scream. He just stared. Blank eyes, with no eyelights, focused on spot Gaster had been just a moment earlier.

Kurt walked over to his friend, and put his arm around the Skeleton's shoulder blades. "I'm sorry."

Sans didn't respond. He wiped his eyes.

"You still have a brother that needs to know you're alright, Sans. Let's go home. We can tell him everything."

"Papyrus doesn't remember Gaster. he'd be happier staying that way."

"Papyrus needs to know that his brother is alright, and why he is depressed," Kurt insisted. "Come on. Let's go back to the machine."

Wordlessly, Sans slipped from Kurt, going to retrieve Gaster's hands. Then he looked up at the wizard, eyelights still out, and nodded.

The trip back to the machine was long, and quiet. Sans had no interest in trying the short cuts. Kurt had to wear the disillusionment cloak through part of Hotland, though they managed to catch the riverperson going back down to Snowden to pick up another group of individuals streaming towards the barrier. The machine was right where they left it, as Sans had predicted.

For a change, Kurt got in the driver side, and plugged in the numbers for home. He double, then triple checked them, and activated the machine. After the normal rumbles and fade outs, they returned to their home timeline. Sans made no move to get out of the machine.

"At least you freed him from limbo," Kurt tried. "He's at peace now. Come on. Let's go put the machine away. I'll apparate you home. No need to walk. But you can't just give up on life. People need you."

Sans didn't respond, though something in his pocket gave a musical chirp.

"Sans, I'm serious," Kurt pulled himself out of the machine, walked around it, and opened the Sans-side door. "Come on. Or I'll locomotor the machine with you still in it. That won't be comfortable."

Sans let loose an audible sigh, as the thing in his pocket gave a second chirp, but stood up. They began the trek back to the Waterfall dock, when Sans's pocket chirped a third time. Sans grumbled, and pulled up his phone, scrolling with a bony finger.

Then he stopped.

"Come on, Sans," Kurt told him. "I'm going to tell your brother if you don't."

"she remembers him," he said quietly.

"What was that?" Kurt asked.

"you know, despite replacing him, and finishing his determination experiment with the flower he picked out, i haven't thought of Gaster in a long time. found myself thinking about him just now. i miss the old doctor. anyone thought about him recently? _sans_? you worked with him too, do you remember any other experiments i don't?" Sans read aloud. "that's from alphys. she remembers him. There's a few other comments, from torii and asgore, but..."

Then Sans's phone began to ring. He held it up to his ear as his phone, and for the first time since they'd left the True Lab, his eyelights reignited. "yeah, bro?"

" **Sans!** " came the voice on the other end of the phone. " **I was just thinking about dad. I haven't thought about him in a long time. Sans, you worked in the lab with him. What actually happened?"**

"i don't know, Papyrus," Sans said. "i wasn't there when it happened, remember? wait... wait... could it be? kurt? we need to get to the true labs, now!" Hanging up the phone, he dragged Kurt quicker than he normally would have walked down to the dock. Waiting only momentarily for Kurt to load the machine onto the boat, he asked to be taken to Hotland.

They abandoned the machine on the Hotland dock (and Sans's phone rang again, but he ignored it), and raced into Alphys's lab, and down the elevator. At the determination extractor, they stopped. And they stared.

"I must admit, that hurt," said a slightly ethereal voice from ahead of them. "I think it caused me to black out. Fascinating. Where and when am I, anyway? Where did they..." Doctor Gaster turned at the sound of rushing footsteps. "Sans?"

Sans bodily pulled down the larger skeleton into a violent embrace. "Dad, it did work. It _did_ work!"

"It did, my Sansy. My son. I was watching the whole time, you know. I saw how you tried to get my possibility machine working."

"it didn't work until..."

"I know, I know," Gaster said, patting his son's shoulder blade. "But you kept it stable, and didn't let your curiosity get the better of you, like I let mine."

"i gave up."

"Sometimes things really are impossible, Sans. You realized that where I did not. Which meant you were there when your brother needed you. Like I was not. Then, when the saviour of the underground needed you, you were there for her, too. When she brought the very thing you needed to finish the machine, you didn't think of yourself first. You thought of your friends. Sans, I could not be prouder of you." And he returned Sans hug. "I promise, I will never do that again. I prefer to keep both my feet in a single possibility, from here on out."

After a minute, they finally released each other. "And you, master wizard. I may not have been able to see past the underground, but I know I have you to thank for the rescue." He put out a bony hand, and Kurt took it to shake. "I feel embarrassed to admit this, but I don't know your name."

Sans's phone rang again. He looked at it, and his eyelights glinted.

"hey, Papyrus,"

" **Sans! You hung up on me! How lazy can you get? I ask you a simple question and this is how you..."**

"bro," Sans interrupted, "someone here would like to speak to you." He handed the phone to Dr. Gaster.

"Hello, Papyrus," the Doctor said.

There was silence on the other end. Nobody needed to tell Kurt how unusual that was. Papyrus was never caught for lack of words.

"Hello? Are you still there, Papyrus?" Gaster asked.

" **Dad?** "


	32. The Distant Storm

Frisk had gone through so many loops that, when the next day finally dawned, it felt almost odd. She had been about to ask her siblings what they expected to be quizzed on their already taken transfiguration test. She'd caught herself when Chara asked her what she expected the headmaster to tell the students about the night before.

"I don't know," Frisk admitted, as they made their way down to the great hall. "I haven't really thought about it. I was so focused on trying to find a way to save Cedric. I'm still wondering if there's a way, but I can't think of it. I asked you two, on the last loop."

"I was lying awake last night trying to think of something too," Asriel said. "But I didn't think of anything either, I'm sorry Frisk."

"It's okay," Frisk said, though she sighed. "I don't know if I actually could make myself go back again."

As it turned out, Dumbledore didn't say much of anything at breakfast. All he wanted them to do was to leave Harry alone, and not ask him any questions about what happened in the maze. And, mostly, they didn't. Even in the common room, Harry was being given a wide berth by just about everyone. Frisk wrote one letter home, and a much more detailed letter to Sans, explaining everything she'd gone though.

When she saw Opal at dinner, Frisk's heart panged. Like a lot of Hufflepuffs, she had not gotten over Cedric's death, not really. She wasn't ready to talk about it.

The last week of term passed slowly, almost incredibly slowly. What classes there were mostly focused on subjects the professors thought the students needed to revise after seeing the results of the exams. There was no Defense Against the Dark Arts classes at all, though Professor Moody, the real one, had joined the staff table at meal times. Frisk had repeatedly tried to introduce herself, but he had been so jumpy, it was hard going. Frisk kept trying.

"Are you able to talk about it?" Ginny asked her after dinner on Tuesday. "Or did Dumbledore ask you not to? Everyone's been asking me to ask you."

"He didn't," Frisk admitted. They stood, and started heading up to the common room. "But I heard things there that I would prefer to keep in confidence. I'm sorry, Ginny."

"I can understand that," Ginny said. "But I think Opal really needs to hear who killed Cedric."

"I'd put gold down that the headmaster will tell us before we go home," Frisk promised. "But I don't want to be the one starting a panic."

Ginny had frozen on the stairwell, and stared at her, the truth dawning in her face. Frisk suddenly realized she'd said too much to the wrong person. "Ginny," she begged. "Please. You can't share that."

"No," she said, her face paling. "Not him. Not he-who-must-not-be-named. You can't be right."

"I don't know," Frisk admitted. "But that's what Harry said, and I believe him."

Ginny swallowed, and they didn't anything more after that. When Steven came up to Frisk at lunch the next day to ask her the same question, it became apparent that Ginny had not, in fact, let it go any further.

Dubran had come to visit them at Firenze's cabin one last time. He reported that Dumbledore had been there earlier that week, to tell him of the revival of the Big V and ask some favor of his father. They played a round or two of Dominion before going outside to throw the quaffle around again. "Do you think I could borrow the game, while you're on holiday?" he asked. "I'd like to teach it to my father."

"Sure," Chara told him. "It's one less thing we have to pack and carry home and back." Frisk was happy to hear the he was trying to make up with his father.

For the farewell feast, the great hall was normally decorated in the colors of the house that won the house cup. This year, however, all the banners and drapes were black. Nobody had to tell anyone that this was for the fallen Cedric Diggory.

Moody was there. Frisk had finally gotten him to talk to her on Friday. She hadn't asked him about being stuck in the trunk at all, but asked him to tell her about his experiences as an auror. After sipping from his hip flask, she got a story about the first Wizard War, when he'd gotten into a fight with a masked death eater, one of the few to match him in spell casting. He never did find out who it was, but after they were caught, he thought it was Bellatrix Lestrange.

Madame Maxine, Beauxbaton's headmaster was there, too. She was talking to professor Hagrid about something. Durmstrang's headmaster Karkaroff wasn't. Frisk wasn't sure why. Had he been related to the death-eaters in some way? Even if he was, Hogwarts had to have been one of the safest places in the world.

Professor Snape was there, scanning the hall, looking grumpy about something. He met Frisk's eyes for a moment, nodded, but did not smile or otherwise acknowledge her.

Opal was sitting behind her, still not speaking to anyone. Ginny had parked herself next to Frisk and her siblings, also not saying anything.

There was one other person at the table, someone she hadn't expected to see at all. The once royal scientist of the monsters, Alphys. She was sitting next to Dumbledore, looking flustered and nervous. She gave Frisk a nervous little wave, then sank back in the chair, avoiding the gaze of everyone else.

"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, "Of another year."

He paused, and looked down the Hufflepuff table. The two chairs closest to the headmaster had been left empty. The rest of students at the table all looked as pale as Opal's did. Frisk could tell she hadn't been the only one that had cried recently.

At Dumbledore's request, they all stood, every last one of them, and raised a toast to Cedric Diggory. Dumbledore went on to eulogize Cedric, and Frisk thought back to when he'd caught her studying in the Great Hall, and encouraged Opal to rekindle her friendship with Frisk. And the way he'd asked her to go back in time again, to 'unsave' him, so that he'd have the chance to save Harry Potter. She was forced to wipe away the tears from her own eyes.

Frisk came back to the present just in time to hear Dumbledore's proclamation that Lord Voldemort had murdered Cedric. As Frisk had predicted, whispers of fear and panic swept over the great hall. Frisk looked behind her, at Opal. The tears on her face were unable to mask the stirrings of a new emotion – anger.

Dumbledore explained why he was telling them this – the truth. How some parents might be upset, Toriel's glaring face appeared in Frisk's imagination. How the Ministry of Magic was almost certainly going to be upset, but how anything less would dishonor Cedric.

Then he mentioned how Harry had also appeared in front of the Dark Lord, survived him, and returned with Cedric's body. Then they toasted Harry, they all did. Frisk could see Steven standing at the Slytherin table, and her siblings' friends Mafilda and Malcolm as well.

Dumbledore went onto call out the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students, saying how the Tri-Wizard tournament was supposed to bring the various magical communities together. He went on to say how every single person in the hall was to be welcome back at any time they chose to return.

Dumbledore took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. He looked back at Alphys, still mostly hidden by the table, then back at their students. They were all looking at her now, so he must have figured there was no avoiding it. "This was supposed to be a celebration, not just of the Tri-Wizard tournament, but of all of our schools. After the first task, it was pointed out how this was leaving the majority of Hogwarts, as well as the members of the other delegations, who otherwise came this far just to be disappointed. While we grieve today, it is not fair to let the person who created the idea for the full school challenge go unappreciated. I would like you all to recognize Ms. Alphys, who designed the overall challenge, and many of the individual tests you all conquered."

Alphys, her normally yellow cheek-scales once again a bright red, waved from her seat. There was some tepid applause from the hall. Frisk could only wish her friend's moment in the limelight had come at a happier time, when the students could have truly cheered for what she'd done for all of them. Alphys didn't look bothered, at least, by lackluster response. She didn't move to give a speech, either.

After dinner, which was far more quiet than the leaving feast had been last year, she dragged her friends up to meet the monster scientist. "Hello, Alphys," Frisk said.

"Oh, hi Frisk," Alphys said. She blushed again, and looked about as flustered as ever. "I shouldn't even be here. But I didn't know."

"What?" Opal demanded. "How did you not know?"

"Nobody does," Alphys explained, averting her eyes from the angry Opal. "There might have been a mention buried in the Daily Prophet. But you would think it would have been on the front page, and it wasn't. I was supposed to be part of the leaving celebration, and nobody told me this had happened."

"You deserved better than that, Alphys," Frisk said. She paused to introduce her friends. "This is Alphys, she was Chief Scientist of the underground, and one of the smartest people I know. I think she'd give Hermione a run for her money. Did you come up with the Quidditch task? I think that might have been the school favorite."

"With Madam Hooch," Alphys said, a hint of a smile appearing briefly on her face. "I got the idea from the online games I play, and she helped sketch out the specifics. There really should have been a fourth phase, though, to get everyone on their toes. I wish they hadn't one shot it though, it'd have made it even better to make everyone have had to practice."

"I am sorry, Ms. Alphys," said Dumbledore, who appeared behind her. Alphys gave a slight squeak and a jump. "Young Frisk is correct. You did deserve better than that, and for that you have my apologies. This last week has been a nightmare, for all of us, and certain parts of it we will not be waking up from," he continued, nodding to Opal. "I do want to make clear, in public, how much I appreciate your efforts. Perhaps it was better than the tri-wizard tournament itself."

"You told me that when I arrived, Mr. Dumbledore," Alphys acknowledged, "but thank you. Again."

They talked for a while, but they were leaving the next day. Alphys might have been taking the Knight Bus, everyone else had to be ready for the Hogwarts express, and. That meant they had to pack.

* * *

"Did you find it?" Steven asked as Frisk loaded her bag onto one of the racks, and sat down in her compartment.

Steven had already staked out a compartment for them, and Luna was behind her. "Find what?" Frisk asked.

He grinned at her. "Our Triwizard 'winnings'. They were in my school trunk when I went to start packing."

Ginny came in to store her trunk. "Oh, I found mine. A bag of chocolate coins in gold foil. It's actually pretty funny. Since the winner of the cup was supposed to actually get gold."

"Oh, yes. I found those. And had one already," Frisk said as Opal joined them, shutting the door behind her. Asriel and Chara were sitting with their friends, for the time being. They made small talk, discussing their exams and their grades, as the train pulled away from Hogsmead station.

"Have you decided what electives you're taking next year?" Steven asked his fellow second years, after the snack trolley came around.

"Care of Magical Creatures," Frisk said, to many enthusiastic nods. "I like animals."

"That's with Professor Hagrid, he's a bit of a joke," Luna told them.

"My brother likes him," Ginny said, "And he's a nice enough person."

"I agree," Frisk said. "I met him when he was caring for that hippogryph last year. I think he knows his stuff."

"Ravenclaw doesn't think he's a very good teacher though," Luna responded. "He's too fascinated with dangerous creatures. People took bets about how many skrewts he'd have left at the end of the year. I think they set the number at one and a half, and he had two."

"I don't care how bad he is. He can't be worse than Professor Binns," Frisk said, and nobody was willing to argue that. "Other than that, I'm not sure. Not divination, I don't think I want to see the future." She'd 'been' to the future enough times to be very sure she'd rather not knowing what was coming.

"There's Muggle studies," suggested Ginny. "That's what I'm taking."

"I grew up in non-magical homes," Frisk protested. "I don't need muggle studies."

"We don't have to decide now, I guess," Steven said. "I probably am taking Muggle studies," He grinned. "I'm hoping you and Opal might be willing to tutor me if I have trouble."

Frisk laughed. Opal didn't. She looked up at the others, and Frisk could still see the fire burning in her friend's eyes. "Are you okay, Opal?"

"No. I want to know what we're doing. When," she struggled with the word for a moment, then spit it out, "when Voldemort comes back," Steven and Ginny both flinched at the use of the dark lord's proper name.

"What do you expect us to do?" Frisk asked. "We're second, well, third year wizards now, I guess."

"I don't know," Opal admitted. "But even if you don't, I have to be ready to do something. We all do! For Cedric's sake."

"I guess," said Frisk, shifting nervously. This aggressive tone of Opal's was making her very uncomfortable. "I suppose if you really want to help, you should write to the headmaster. I'm sure Dumbledore would know how you can help."

Opal smouldered a bit. It wasn't that it seemed a bad idea, it wasn't. But Opal needed to do something right then, and trying to divert her wasn't helping. "You could train, I guess," Steven suggested. "Who was that friend of yours who designed the obstacle course?" he asked.

"Oh, Undyne," Frisk said. "You ought to try her full course, Opal. I'll help you get in touch with her over the break!"

"Maybe," Opal said, but she didn't sound convinced.

"How about exploding snap?" Ginny suggested, trying to change the subject. Everyone but Opal was in for that, and even she joined in after a few hands, as the others talked about the electives they planned to take.

Eventually, the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross. With one last goodbye, they separated to find their families. Frisk met up with her siblings, and then met with Mom and Dad. She could see the ministry wizards, ready to disillusion her parents again.

"I am so glad you are safe, my children," Toriel said, trying to sweep them all into a single hug. "I got your letter, and Dumbledore and Alphys have both told us what happened at school," she said. "And I am so relieved to see you again."

"I'm glad to see you too," Asgore rumbled. "And Dumbledore told us how brave you were, Chara," he said, lowering his volume. "Going to act to save the life of a fellow student. I am proud of you. Time with the healer, befriending centaurs, I'm proud of you all."

"Perhaps, Asgore, it is time to go home. I am sure our children are famished. There is, of course, cinnamon and butterscotch pie waiting."

There might have been darkness in the future. But, at least for now, those were words that all three of them had been waiting to hear. With disillusionment charms put on the three monsters, the Dreemurr's headed out of Kings Cross, into waiting ministry cars that would take them home.


	33. Epilogue and an Author's Reflection

"How did you get the monsters to help you do this, Mr. Kairos?" his department head asked.

"It wasn't easy, but I worked with Sans on the Dreemurr's children operation, remember?" Kurt said, grinning. "I've spent the last year helping him out with some minor things on my free time, trying to get him to come in and help us out. And with Asriel being allowed into Hogwarts, the king signed off on it, calling it a step forward in human-monster relations. Fudge jumped on it, and the rest is mechanics."

They'd arrived in the rotunda. "Souls," Kurt's boss said. The room darkened and spun, with several doors rotating in front of them. After a moment, a door stopped in front of them and opened up. "After you, Mr. Kairos."

"Thank you," Kurt said, walking into the newly designated Souls Room. The first thing one noticed were the series of bottles that lined the left wall, bottles that until recently had been in King Asgore's possession. They were empty, but if these 'Soul Jars' worked as advertised, they would be fascinating to research.

But the true prize was the large machine in the center.

"The determination extractor and injector," the department head said. "I'm not sure if we'll ever get to truly test it. But if it works..."

"We might be able to find a true cure to a dementor's kiss," Kurt said. "And that will be worth it."

* * *

Hello again. It's me, John "TheZorker" Burkhart, and that's "Harry Potter and Endless Possibilities". If I'd been aware when I started this, how little Harry Potter would actually take part in this series, I probably would have worked out a different name. But, when Saviour's first chapter was posted, it was the only chapter. I had no idea I'd create a 'save fiction' out of it. And here I am with Chara and Asriel having finished a first year at the school of adventure that is Hogwarts.

When I finished Saviour, I was amazed by the number of favorites, follows, and reviews I'd gathered. While Possibilities hasn't reached that total, it's still the second most popular thing I've ever written on FF.N.

I think there's a couple of reasons for this. In my opinion, some of the best bits of Saviour are when Frisk stumbles into side threads of the main plot that were left hanging in the original work. There's the bullying and fights that break out between Gryffindor and Slytherin, of course, and there's the repeated attempts of Sirius to get after Peter, which gets Frisk turned out of her dorm for a night.

The truly big moment for me was letting Frisk get involved with Neville's howler. We're still at the part of the series where Neville can't catch a break, and it felt cathartic (not to mention completely in Frisk's character) to give him someone to just sit with.

But, outside of a fight between Harry and the rest of the school after the Goblet selection (including Ron), there's none of that integration with the rest of the school for Frisk to work with in Goblet, and I think the story suffers for that.

So Frisk needed something to do. Then there was Asriel and Chara, they needed screen time to. I hadn't saved them to forget about them. Chara was always going to be my way into the main plot, as the daughter of a death eater (more on that in a moment). So Frisk came up with the idea of the full school challenge, something to give the school a reason to get excited. I liked the idea, and the Quidditch 'Raid' was fun to write, but I think the rest of it fell flat.

Asriel could have been bullied, as the lone nonhuman in the school. But I figured Dumbledore and the other teachers would be watching for that and would have stomped it as soon as it occurred. So I must hat tip 'Titan616' for giving me the idea of the Centaur plot – which I think worked actually pretty well. Asriel being allowed to learn wand magic would certainly promote envy from those who aren't allowed to carry wands, and that was a fun exploration. I hope you think the same.

Cedric 'Surviving' by not being part of the Triwizard Maze is explored in 'Cursed Child' (and he's so out of character there, it's like badly written fanfiction. But I digress), and there were certain plot elements that I needed to have happen so I could examine them in Phoenix. But main characters can't always succeed. That's how they grow, and I agree with Dumbledore. Who would want to know, and be responsible, for everything?

One last reflection. Chara is a Malfoy for some original characters because I _didn't_ want to overlap with Cursed Child. So she'd have fit as a daughter of Bellatrix, but I think in the long run, Jasper and Annabel Malfoy will be interesting – and different – characters in the own right.

So where next? While I'm absolutely terrified that I'll suffer another readership drop because I'm going to make the Phoenix it's own story as well, I'm still going to continue it. I'm probably going back to edit this one first. (If you've noticed Chara calls back to the first 'loop' by wondering if Moody's going to talk himself all the way to Dumbledore's arrival, that's because that's what happened the first time around. I'd just forgotten to include it.)

In the meantime, can I ask for one to a few favors, in small to large order.

First and foremost, leave a favorite on this story. I hope I've convinced you it's worth it. If you haven't already, go back to Underground's Saviour and favorite that as well. I'm nearing the 500 favorite plateau, and I know you want me to do the Snoopy dance.

Second, I know I'm not the best grammar person in the world, I'm always horrified when I go back and reread my own work. I'd love some help making the fiction look nice and sparkly for attracting new readers.

Third, there's a trope page that's begging for some additions. I'm always curious to know if people catch the sneaky shout outs, or feel that things I think are crowning moments are themselves crowning, or just narm. If the 'wham line' of Dumbledore asking, "...or have you already tried" was as surprising as I wanted it to be. Underground's Saviour and Endless Possibilities share a page, if you google Underground's Saviour Tropes, you'll find it just fine.

Finally, if you'd like to support my fanfiction habit, can I interest you in buying my fully original Fantasy Novel? It's Redeemer's Oath, and you can find it on Amazon! Frisk and Tourmaline would get along, I promise! I'd love to be an actual published author one day, and this is the way to practice, right?

What's that?

You want a teaser?

Well. Okay. Two teasers for "Harry Potter and the Muggles who Needed Magic."

* * *

 _National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA._

 _June 1st._

The wait was unbearable. The appointment was supposed to have begun ten minutes ago, and he was late. It was bad enough what they expected to hear. But the wait, the wait only made everything worse.

The door finally opened, and the doctor walked in. Two of the three pairs of eyes locked onto him. The woman, a middle age woman about forty years of age looked up at him. The man sitting next to her stood up quickly. He was wearing his blues, but his face didn't reflect anything that was standing on ceremony. "Doctor? What did you find?"

The doctor didn't reply at first, he turned and shut the door behind him. "General," he said slowly. He looked between the family, before he settled on the son. The son was confined to a wheel chair, and while his brown eyes were still alert, his bald his face, and his small body spoke to the chemotherapy he had been forced to go through.

The doctor sighed, looking down to the printout he was holding. "I'm sorry, Ms. Macintosh, General, I have to confirm the diagnosis. It's not getting any better. If anything, it's advancing. If something doesn't change soon I give him, maybe six months. A year, if we're lucky."

Tears began to trickle from the mother's eyes. "We'll do something. We can go to the Nationals spring training. No, there might... the All Star Game, or maybe the Wizard's training camp. Or Disney World. Have you ever wanted to go Disney World, or Universal Studios?"

The boy looked up his mother, he was calm, at least for the moment. How does anyone react to being given an inexorable death sentence. "It's okay, Mom. I don't want to go to Disney World, but," he forced out a smile. "I know you said it's impossible, that it's against the law, but..." his voice faltered.

"Go ahead, Tony, ask," General Macintosh said.

"Can I see Frisk again?"

* * *

 _Plymouth, Devon, UK_

 _July 1st_

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Chapman," the woman said, shaking the doctor's hand. "I'm really hoping you might be able to help Anne."

Anne was a girl of about eleven years of age. She looked up at Dr. Chapman with dull, brown eyes for a moment, then looked away.

"Your mother told me you liked to draw," the doctor told her. "I have some colored pencils and paper on the table over there. Have at them."

Anne looked up at the table, and walked slowly over to table. She sat down, took a piece of paper and some of the pencils, and began to draw.

"She had been such an energetic child," the woman explained. "But something happened last year. She's isolated herself from her friends, though she never had many, and she's almost stopped talking. Her grades have slipped, and her teachers are worried, And she won't tell her father or me what happened."

"Hmm," the Doctor said. "You don't think she was bullied, do you?."

"I don't know," her mother said. "If she was being bullied, I haven't heard of it. I watch her social media, too. I'm terrified that she might have been cyber-bullied."

"Do you mind if I talk to her?" When the mother shook her head no, Dr. Peterson walked over to the table, sitting down across from Anne. "What is that you drew?" she asked kindly.

"An angel," the girl responded.

"Anne?" the doctor asked curiously. "Do angels usually have goat ears and fur?"

"This one did," Anne Roberts answered.


End file.
